THE MANILA TIMES | MARCH 09, 2019

Diokno: ‘There’s room’ to ease monetary policy ÂťStory on B1 Trusted since 1898

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SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2019

PH uses 60 billion plastic sachets a year AN audit in the Philippines has shown the country uses a “shocking� amount of single-use plastic, including nearly 60 billion sachets a year, a new report said on Friday.

The report, produced by the non-

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Two policy tools, two different jobs, one civil servant

WOMEN’S DAY

Women’s rights activists led by former theater actress Monique Wilson (second from right) and Gabriela’s Joms Salvador (right) dance at Liwasang Bonifacio on Friday to celebrate International Women’s Day. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA

First word T will help public comprehension of Secretary Benjamin Diokno’s transfer from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), if everyone starts off with the recognition that 1) monetary policy and fiscal policy are entirely different tools of the government TO STABILIZE THE ECONOMY AND THAT THE work of central bank governor and that of budget secretary are entirely different jobs.

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OBSERVER YEN MAKABENTA

F O R ‘R A D I C A L I Z I N G’ YO U T H

Local NGOs face Belgium, EU probe

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BY DEMPSEY REYESÂ

Power is temporary, fleeting

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HE European Union (EU) and the Belg i a n g ove r n m e n t are poised to investigate nongovernment organizations (NGOs) based in the Philippines on suspicion that these were being used as fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA), the Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Friday.

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, , IN MY LINE miss OF SIGHT my friend and compadre, Antonio “Bebotâ€? Villar, former chief of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG), who passed away last week from a lingering illness. ÂłTulfoA5

RAMON T. TULFO

REACH US AT: E-mail: newsdesk@ manilatimes.net Tel. Nos.: 524-5664 to 67 Address: 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002

Lorenzana fear US, China would clash at SCS DEFENSE 3ECRETARY $ELkN ,ORENZANA on Friday said he was more worried about China and the United States clashing over the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) despite assurances to the contrary made recently by Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua.

“That was also mentioned to me by Ambassador Zhao, that they will never ATTACK US u ,ORENZANA TOLD REPORTERS IN a text message. “I worry about the two of them coming [to] blows because it will involve us,� he said.

On Wednesday, Zhao gave assur-

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WITH MAHATHIR

Officers and members of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines led by its President Eusebio Tan (seated, right) and 2017 president Benedicta Du-Baladad (seated, left) pose with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

A GOVERNMENT OF, AND NOT ABOVE, LAWS

Ricky Reyes’ FilHair celebrates a milestone

Antonio ContrerasA4

MH370 families demand answers, five years on

BUCKS BOUNCE BACK FROM LOSSES TO PUNISH PACERS

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MORE Filipinos use Facebook more than other social networking applications, a research agency has reported.

According to a report from the Pew Research Center on Thursday, 58 percent of Filipino adults use Facebook, followed by Instagram (10 percent), Twitter (7 percent), Viber and photo-sharing app Snapchat (both at 6 percent), messaging app WhatsApp (4 percent) and dating app Tinder (1 percent).

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FICTAP CONGRESS OPENS

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Filipinos hooked on Facebook – report

Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., the military’s deputy chief of staff for civil-military operations,

WOMEN SEEK ‘GENUINE’ CHANGE

ances that Beijing would not launch any attack against Manila, especially in the contested West Philippine Sea, as he said the region should be worried about “the other side.�

Although he did not name who “the other side� was, the Chinese ambassador

The 20th Federation of International Cable TV and Telecommunications Association of the Philippines (Fictap) Congress and Exhibit opened at Manila Hotel on March 7. Leading the ribbon cutting ceremony, from left were: Ruben Cortez, Technical Group chairman; Estrellita Juliano-Tamano, Fictap national chairman; former senator Juan Ponce Enrile; NTC Delilah Deles; Sen. Nancy Binay; Dr. Cecilia La Madrid-Dy, Fictap Luzon vice chairman; Fernando Penson; and Jose Delmondo. The exhibit had the theme “Fast Internet: Key to Progress.�

KUALA LUMPUR: Emotional relatives of those aboard Flight MH370 on Friday demanded answers to one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries and called for the hunt TO RESUME kVE YEARS ON FROM THE plane’s disappearance.

The Malaysia Airlines jet vanished on March 8, 2014 carrying

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SATURDAY March 9, 2019

Women seek ‘genuine’change M

EMBERS of various women’s groups marched and held rallies on Friday to mark International Women’s Day and demanded “genuine change.�

Gabriela and other women’s advocates who marched to Mendiola made a list of issues that affect women, such as livelihood, wage and housing.

Gabriela Secretary General Joms Salvador said “women had more than enough of President

Rodrigo Duterte’s policies that figuratively and literally kill women and their families.� “Women are coming together to kND THEIR VOICES AND SHOUT AS ONE We will not allow our families to go hungry, jobless and homeless.

We cannot allow plunderers and

Enrile vows to push for women’s rights FORMER Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile on Friday reiterated his commitment to push for measures promoting women’s rights IF ELECTED FOR THE kFTH TIME IN THE Senate in May. The 95-year-old veteran lawmaker celebrated International Women’s Day with supporters from Pangasinan.

He joined former Pangasinan congressman and now Movie and 4ELEVISION 2EVIEW AND #LASSIkCAtion Board Chairman Rachel Arenas at the celebration of Women’s Day at the Arenas-Resuello Sports Complex in San Carlos City. “I’m very happy to spend this special occasion with the women, men and families of Pangasinan,�

Enrile said. “In celebration of International Women’s Day, I’m honored to be here not only to share my platform as a candidate but to interact with the women of Pangasinan to bring their voices to the Senate,� he added.

The former senator said, “For years, I’ve been advocating for women’s rights to give both genders the equality and respect that is due them. It’s no different this time around.�

“Aside from that, I am also pushing for same-sex marriage and RIGHTS FOR THE ,'"4 LESBIAN GAY

bisexual and transgender) community because as long as people are happy and not breaking the law, who am I to stop them from identifying as they do?� he asked.

Enrile noted that as Senate president in 2009, he pushed for the passage of the Magna Carta for Women in support of women’s protection against abuse and discrimination.

He said that former Senate Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations chairman Jamby Madrigal had praised him for his “decisive leadership� in the approval of the bill despite the opposition of various groups.

Enrile added that prior to his leadership in the Senate in the 14th Congress, the same bill had been left untouched since the 12th Congress. “In my decades-long career as a lawyer, I’m happy to see that we were able to dismantle discriminatory provisions that existed in our laws, such as those involving conjugal property, guardianship, marital rape and more.

"UT THE kGHT IS FAR FROM OVER u HE SAID BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

criminals to run our country. We cannot allow politicians to get richer and even top Forbes’ list of billionaires at the expense of our people. Women will fight back and we can succeed if we do it together,� Salvador said.

Some groups who massed at THE ,IWASANG "ONIFACIO IN -ANILA vowed to make women’s agenda an election issue. “We reiterate our call for genuine change. We don’t just complain. We have concrete changes that we wish to see in our country.

We want to know how those run-

NING FOR OFkCE VIEW OUR WOMEN S agenda, so that we can decide whether they will genuinely represent women when they are elected INTO OFkCE u 3ALVADOR SAID “We want to know, for example, what candidates think about Duterte’s secret deals with China, or how they can help in the campaign to stop regressive taxation like the Tax Reform for !CCELERATION AND )NCLUSION ,AW u she added.

Gabriela partylist Rep.

Emmi de Jesus reminded women TO kGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS “Marami talaga pa din struggles na kailangang ipaglaban ng kababaihan sa rights at welfare, lalong lalo na sa Presidenteng misogynist (We have to fight for women’s rights and welfare, especially with a mysoginist president),� she said.

Salvador said women were also affected in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. “Sa war on drugs, madaming babae ang namatay, madaming mga bata ang nawalan ng ina

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FAREWELL Malaysian

PH uses 60 billion plastic

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad waves to wellwishers before boarding his plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Aiport on Friday, ending his two-day official visit to Manila.

PHOTO BY RUSSEL PALMA

Possession of wiretapped foreign info illegal – Lacson 3%. 0ANkLO ,ACSON ON &RIDAY SAID possessing wiretapped foreign material was illegal and using it to link Filipinos to crimes, such as illegal drugs was a violation of Philippine law and the State’s policy to protect ITS CITIZENS The senator likened the situation to a person who bought marijuana in a country where it is legal, but will be arrested for violating the Philippine Dangerous Drugs Act once he or she brings it to the Philippines. “What if someone brings into the country marijuana which he/ she got or bought from a foreign country where possession and use of the same is legal?� asked

,ACSON CHAIRMAN OF THE 3ENATE Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs. “Will the person who brought in the marijuana not be violating the Dangerous Drugs Act?� he added.

He also contested Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra’s reported pronouncement that if the wiretapped conversation came from a country where wiretapping was not illegal, it “may be passed on to the Philippine government and considered admissible in Philippine courts.� “Mr. Secretary, possession of wiretapped material is also an OFFENSE u ,ACSON SAID IN HIS 4WITter account.

Senate President Vicente Sotto

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Lorenzana fear US, China was apparently referring to the US, which has been conducting patrols in the West Philippine Sea. Earlier this week, the Defense chief said the Philippines does not wish to get involved in any war as he pushed for a review of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the country and the US. Zhao’s statement came days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also assured the Philippines protection from any armed attack in the West Philippine Sea, during his recent two-day visit to Manila.

The Chinese envoy said the common interest of China, the US and even Southeast Asian countries was to keep peace and stability and ensure freedom of navigation in the disputed waters.

DEMPSEY REYES

3rd dismissed a report that foreign governments had a hand in wiretapping at least 82 politicians suspected of being involved in illegal drugs. “Why will a foreign government wiretap politicians? A few perhaps.

"UT )F CASES WILL BE kLED AGAINST these politicians, it will be based on other evidence, not wiretaps.�

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel 3rd said CONCERNED OFkCIALS MUST gCHARGE narcopoliticians with evidence which are credible and not prohibited by law.�

Under Republic Act 4200 or the g!NTI WIRETAPPING ,AW IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR ANY PERSON NOT AUTHORIZED by all the parties to any private

communication or spoken word to secretly record such communication.

Section 2 of the law provides that it is also unlawful “to knowingly possess� records or copies of any communication or spoken word secured via wiretapping.

Violators of the law, even those who aid or permit such wiretapping, face imprisonment of up to six years.

Offenders who are public officials face perpetual absolute DISQUALIkCATION FROM PUBLIC OFkCE ,ACSON SAID -ALACAĂ„ANG S REported claim that its information on personalities involved in illegal drugs was based on wiretaps done

by foreign governments does not make things right, except if those who conducted the wiretap were ARMED WITH JUDICIAL AUTHORIZATION He noted that under Article 3, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution, the privacy of communication and correspondence “shall be inviolable except upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by law.� “If we allow such wiretaps from foreign governments, is it now a government policy to condone invasion of privacy of its own nationals by other countries?� he also asked.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

Local NGOs face Belgium, EU probe said the EU and Brussels made the commitment to look into the report of a Philippine delegation that at least seven NGOs receiving funding from the EU and Belgium were being used to help recruit NPA members.

Parlade said Belgium was programmed to release 3 million euros a year for five years to seven NGOs based in the Philippines. The EU, meanwhile, gave an initial 621,000 euros to the groups. A second tranche of financial assistance in the amount of 1.3 million euros would follow, Parlade said. ,AST MONTH A DELEGATION from Manila, which included Parlade, went to Brussels to discuss with EU officials, members of the European Parliament and the European Commission the Philippine government’s concern that some groups being funded by the EU maybe involved in communist activities

SUCH AS RADICALIZING THE YOUTH and luring students to join the NPA. The Philippine delegation asked EU officials to stop giving monetary aid to these ORGANIZATIONS According to Parlade, the Belgian government was giving financial support to seven NGOs, while other countries in Europe had been funding all groups connected with the CPP. “The engagement in EU was exploratory. Now that they gave their commitment (to investigate the incidents), the Philippine government will soon provide them necessary documentations, official reports, evidences or whatever administrative actions done on the part of the Philippine government,� Parlade said in a text message.

He said that in their meetings, officials of the EU and Brussels said they did not want to be

(Many women were killed, many children lost their mothers),� she told The Manila Times.

The Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Resources, Jojo Guan said celebrating Women’s Day was important because it shows that women can rise up against abuse. “Ang kababaihan ay hindi papayag na naka-upo lang, at tatanggap ng kabastusan, kaapihan (women will not accept vulgarity and oppression sitting down),� she said in an interview.

REVA MARCELO AND CATHERINE A. MODESTO

seen as “financiers� of a terrorist ORGANIZATION Parlade said that in January, the EU reaffirmed that the CPP and the NPA were in their list of TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS He said Gunnar Wiegand, managing director for Asia and the Pacific of the European External Action Service, quipped that the CPP and NPA should REALIZE THAT COMMUNISM gALL over the world is dead.�

Philippine military officials have earlier claimed that the CPP and NPA were trying to recruit college students in 10 universities in Metro Manila.

In October last year, the Armed Forces of the Philippines released a list of 17 universities in Metro Manila where communists were allegedly recruiting students to join their group.

These include the University of the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the Philippines,

Ateneo de Manila University, $E ,A 3ALLE 5NIVERSITY AND THE University of Santo Tomas.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff 'EN #ARLITO 'ALVEZ HAD SAID THE communists had also infiltrated the youth and labor sector.

In January this year, NPA members who surrendered to the police confirmed that communists forced students to join their group. These students who visit mountain communities as part of their “immersion� program were threatened that they could not longer go back because they were already considered outlaws by the government. #HIEF 3UPT %DWARD #ARRANZA

#ALABARZON #AVITE ,AGUNA

"ATANGAS 2IZAL 1UEZON REgional director, said the confirmation was made by 20 NPA members, who surrendered to AUTHORITIES IN +ALAYAAN ,AGUNA on January 11.

GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION .'/ GAIA, is part of an effort to collect data on plastic consumption as environmentalists push for government action to reduce plastic waste. )T CONTAINS EYE POPPING kGURES every day, almost 57 million shopping bags are used throughout the Philippines, adding up to more than 20 billion a year. !ND THAT kGURE DOES NOT INCLUDE the smaller, thinner and often transparent plastic bags known as “labo� — around 16.5 billion of those are used per year across the country, the report says.

The figures are based on 21 waste assessments conducted in six cities and seven municipalities across the Philippines, with THE NATIONAL kGURES PRODUCED BY extrapolating from local results.

More than half of non-recyclaBLE PLASTIC ANALYZED IN THE SURVEY came from sachets — small plastic packets often lined with aluminium or containing other materials that make them nonrecyclable. “On a per capita basis, it’s about one sachet per person per day,� said Froilan Grate, executive direcTOR OF '!)! S !SIA 0ACIkC OFkCE “But on a per year, per city basis, it’s quite shocking. It runs into the millions and billions depending on the place,� he told Agence France-Presse.

Small portions of products ranging from coffee to shampoo are often sold in sachets in the Philippines, and are seen as an affordable solution for consumers.

But Grate said the popularity appeared to be more a result of what was available, with wealthier consumers simply buying multiple sachets. “If you go to the supermarkets, it’s rare for you to be able to buy coffee in bigger containers, it’s all in sachets,� he added.

4HE SURVEY IS THE kRST TIME AN ORGANIZATION HAS TRIED TO QUANTIFY sachet use, and the NGO hopes to pressure both the government and industry to take action on curbing single-use plastic.

The report found that where local-level plastic bag bans have been put in place and rigorously enforced, usage has dropped dramatically.

It urged the government to “institute a comprehensive national plastic bag ban that promotes reusable bags.�

And it wants regulations on other single-use plastic products and rules requiring companies to redesign products and packaging TO MINIMIZE PLASTIC WASTE Grate said it was hard to compare plastic usage in the Philippines with other countries in the region. “There is a lack of available, evidence-backed data,� he added. “That’s a problem and is our main reason for doing this [survey].�

Plastic pollution is a major problem in the Philippines, which — along with China, Vietnam and Indonesia — is frequently listed among the world’s worst offenders, particularly on marine plastic pollution. AFP

News

˜ The Manila Times

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Which court has jurisdiction over concubinage case?

Dear PAO, I just want to know which court has jurisdiction when the case TO BE kLED IS CONCUBINAGE )S IT THE -UNICIPAL 4RIAL #OURT OR THE 2EGIONAL 4RIAL #OURT $AHLIA Dear Dahlia, Article 334 of Revised Penal Code of the Philippines defines the crime of concubinage and mentions the penalties to be imposed upon the persons who may be found be guilty thereof: “Art. 334. Concubinage — Any husband who shall keep a mistress in the conjugal dwelling, or shall have sexual intercourse, under scandalous circumstances, with a woman who is not his wife, or shall cohabit with her in any other place, shall be punished by prision correccional in its minimum and medium periods. “The concubine shall suffer the penalty of destierro.�

Given that the penalty to the erring husband is that of “prision correccional in its minimum and medium periods� or imprisonment from six months and one day to four years and two months, the jurisdiction rests within the inferior courts, such as the Municipal Trial Court.

But since the penalty as to the concubine is destierro, there seems to have been confusion to the effect that the case should BE kLED BEFORE THE 2EGIONAL 4RIAL Court as it exercises jurisdiction over criminal cases not within the exclusive jurisdiction of any court, tribunal or body. The 3UPREME #OURT HAS CLARIkED THIS issue and ruled that the crime of concubinage is well-within the jurisdiction of the inferior courts: “Under the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980 (BP Blg. 129), the inferior courts shall exercise exclusive original jurisdiction over-all offenses punishable with imprisonment of not exceeding four (4) years and two (2) months [Sec. 32 (2)], while the Regional Trial Courts shall have exclusive original jurisdiction,� in all criminal cases not within the exclusive jurisdiction of any court, tribunal or body� [Sec. 20].

Ostensibly, Sec. 20 of BP Blg. 129 would grant to the Regional Trial Courts jurisdiction over crimes punishable with destierro, such as concubinage, since destierro is not an offense punishable with imprisonment of not exceeding four (4) years and two (2) months. However, the Court, after a careful reading of BP Blg. 129, is of the considered opinion that there was no intention to overturn the doctrine laid down in Uy Chin Hua vs. Dinglasan and People vs. Santos. It is quite evident that among the

important factors considered in the allocation of jurisdiction between the Regional Trial Courts and the inferior courts are the gravity of both the offense and the imposable penalty. It is not, therefore unreasonable to state that the legislature granted to the Regional Trial Courts jurisdiction over crimes whose penalties are harsher than those vested in the inferior courts. And since it is already a settled rule that destierro, by its nature, is a lighter penalty than imprisonment [Uy Chin Hua vs. Dingalasan, supra], it follows that even under the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980, jurisdiction over crimes punishable with destierro is vested not in the Regional Trial Courts but in the inferior courts. “More particularly in this case, the crime of concubinage has two penalties, one for the husband and another for the concubine.

The penalty for the husband, prision correccional in its minimum and medium periods, which ranges from six (6) months and one (1) day to four (4) years and two (2) months, is unquestionably within the jurisdiction of the inferior courts. Considering that Article 344 of the Revised Penal Code states that ‘[t]he offended party [in the crime of concubinage] cannot institute criminal prosecution without including both the guilty parties,’ it is clearly in the interest of the orderly administration of justice that the concubine be tried with the erring husband before the inferior courts. The legislature could not have intended to allow the absurd situation wherein the inferior court has jurisdiction over the crime of concubinage only as regards the husband while the Regional Trial Court has jurisdiction over the same crime with respect to the concubine. (0EOPLE VS (ON %DUARTE ET AL., GR 88232, Feb. 26, 1990, Ponente: former associate justice Irene R. Cortes; Emphasis supplied).�

We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public AttorNEY S /FkCE 1UESTIONS FOR #HIEF Acosta may be sent to dearpao@ manilatimes.net

BY ROY D.R. NARRA

4

(% 0HILIPPINE .ATIONAL 0OLICE 0.0 HAS REVERTED TO THE USE OF THE OLD POLICE RANKING IN ORDER TO FURTHER MODIFY THE IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS )22 OF THE NEW RANK CLASSIkCATION Deputy Dir. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, chief of the PNP directorial staff, put all memoranda issued in implementing the new PNP rank CLASSIkCATION ON HOLD This means that the old police ranking is being used in operations and documents instead of the military-based rank classification.

PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, for example, will be regarded again as PNP director general, not police general.

Senior Supt. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesman, told reporters that they were still specifying policies and proper abbreviations of THE NEW RANK CLASSIkCATION He explained that the IRR is

expected to be released within 30 days.

The IRR will specify policies and proper abbreviations and their usage in written communications. “We [are holding] in abeyance USING ;THE NEW RANK CLASSIkCAtion] internally‌ But for the public and the media, we still allow them to use the new ranks as enumerated in the newly approved law,â€? Banac said.

Republic Act (RA) 11200 amended Section 28 of RA 6975 or the “Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990.�

The new law states that the rank of police director general will be changed to police general, deputy director general to police lieutenant

DRUG PROBE CONTINUES

Balutan quits PCSO post PHILIPPINE Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan has resigned from HIS POST HIS SPOKESMAN CONkRMED on Friday.

Florante Solmerin, PCSO deputy spokesman, said Balutan tendered his resignation because of “personal reasons,� disputing reports that the LATTER WAS kRED BY 0RESIDENT 2ODRIGO Duterte.

“PCSO General Manager Alexander Ferrer Balutan has opted to resign from his post for personal reasons,�

Solmerin said in a statement. ! FORMER MILITARY OFkCIAL "ALUTAN was appointed by the President to the PCSO in 2016.

Balutan has been accused by PCSO board member Sandra Cam of spending P10 million for a Christmas party in a five-star hotel in

December 2017.

But Balutan had denied that the party was lavish, saying the budget for the event was just P6 million.

In February last year, Duterte cleared Balutan and asked Cam to befriend the PCSO general manager.

Late on Friday, the Palace said $UTERTE kRED "ALUTAN OVER gSERIOUSu allegation of corruption.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

Duterte: Support anti-poverty drive PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered all government offices to support and participate in the administration’s Sambayanihan: Serbisyong Sambayanan Program.

Duterte, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, issued Memorandum Circular 59 on March 6.

The National Anti-Poverty Com-

mission (NAPC) earlier rolled out the program, which intends to reduce the poverty incidence in the country by 7.6 percent by 2022.

Last September, the commission launched the Sambayanihan caravan, which gives a frontline support and basic social services of various national government

agencies delivered to Filipinos.

A Social Weather Stations surVEY FOR THE kNAL QUARTER OF found that 50 percent of families, or about 11.6 million families, consider themselves poor.

Of the 50 percent, seven percent were “newly poor.�

RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA

‘Build, Build, Build’ program which is designed to generate jobs for Filipinos),� Ejercito said in a statement.

The senator issued the call following reports that throngs of Chinese nationals work in projects funded by China under the Build, Build, Build program of the government.

Ejercito cited the inherent skills and positive work ethics of Filipinos, which make

THEM EXCEL IN VARIOUS kELDS Earlier, Anna Mae Lamentillo, head of the committee that oversees the government’s Build Build Build infrastructure program, said the Philippine labor force could meet the higher demand for construction workers because of the rising employment rate.

Lamentillo said the country’s employment rate went up to 94.6 percent in July

2018 from 94.4 percent in the same period two years ago.

The labor department earlier reported it had issued almost 52,000 alien employment permits for workers from China.

Ejercito, former San Juan City mayor and former congressman representing the lone District of the city, is seeking reelection in the midtern polls in May. JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

Free College Law best gift to mothers – Aquino SEN. Paolo Benigno “Bam�

Aquino 4th on Friday said the free college law is one of the best gifts to Filipino mothers because it helps fulfill their dream of seeing their children earn a college degree and have a bright future.

As the country marked Women’s Month, the reelectionist senator cited the cases of two mothers who struggled to send their children to college.

“I got the inspiration to push the Free College Law from mothers in order to uplift the condition of the Filipino family,� said Aquino, the law’s principal sponsor.

Aquino said that prior to the enactment of the free tuition law, he met Joana Amarillas in Batangas, who informed him that she had to obtain a loan for the college education of her children.

In Zambales, Susana Tacasan told him that she had to tighten

general, director to police major general, chief superintendent to police brigadier general, senior superintendent to police colonel, superintendent to police lieutenant colonel, chief inspector to police MAJOR SENIOR POLICE OFkCER 30/ to police executive master sergeant, SPO3 to police chief master sergeant, SPO2 to police senior master sergeant, SPO1 to police master SERGEANT POLICE OFkCER 0/ TO police staff sergeant, PO2 to police corporal and PO1 to patrolman.

The law aims to have an “improved and smooth coordination� between the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and to address the confusion of the public OVER THE RANK CLASSIkCATION

Members of the Department of Justice’s probe team inspect the magnetic lifters allegedly used in the smuggling of drugs at the Manila International Container Port.

The Department of Justice is investigating the complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in connection with the smuggling of illegal drugs worth billions of pesos.

PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

Hire Filipinos, not foreigners Ejercito asks govt !-)$ THE REPORTED INlUX OF FOREIGN WORKers, mostly Chinese, Sen. Joseph Victor “JV�

Ejercito called on the government to hire Filipinos instead of foreigners. “Priority dapat ang mga Filipino worker sa job opportunities. Lalo na ang ‘Build, Build, Build’ program, maraming trabaho na mage-generate at dapat Pilipino ang priority�(Filipino workers should be prioritized in job opportunities, especially in the

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PNP reverts to old ranking classification

DEAR PAO PERSIDA ACOSTA

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

the family’s budget to maximize her husband’s income as a fisher so that they could save money for the college education of their children.

Aquino said Amarillas and Tacasan were among dozens of mothers who had to turn to loan sharks in order to send their children to school. “ Tanong nila sa akin, mayroon ba kayong magagawa rito?

(They asked me, ‘Is there some-

thing you can do about this?’)�

Aquino said.

Accepting the challenge, Aquino said he requested for the chairmanship of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress and pushed the passage of the free college bill. “More than one year later, it became a law. College education is now free in all state universities and colleges and accredited local universities and colleges nation-

wide,� he said.

He said Filipino families would now have the chance to achieve a bright future through education. “Every Filipino family now has the opportunity to address poverty,�

Aquino added.

The law also provides scholarships to poor but deserving students who want to study in private universities through the Tertiary Education Subsidy.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

GSIS mulls P1,000 pension increase STATE-RUN Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is considering increasing the minimum basic pension of its members by P1,000.

In a statement, the GSIS said it recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte that the basic pension of old age and disability pensioners be raised to P6,000 from P5,000 effective retroactively in February this year.

GSIS President and General Manager Jesus Clint Aranas said 67,201 PENSIONERS WOULD BENEkT FROM THE proposed increase. “It should be noted that GSIS is recommending a pension hike that will not necessitate an increase in the monthly contribution of our members nor bring about adverse effects in the actuarial life of the pension fund,� he said.

If approved, it will be the second HIKE TO BE GIVEN TO QUALIkED '3)3 pensioners.

In Jan., pensioners were given a 1.5-percent pension increase.

Those whose pension are lower than P6,000 after the 1.5-percent increase will get another round of increase to adjust their pension to P6,000, Aranas said.

However, survivorship pensioners and those who retired under the Republic Act (RA) 7699 or the “Portability Law� are not entitled to the proposed pension increase.

Portability law pensioners have been GRANTED PENSION BENEkT AFTER COMBINing their contributions to GSIS and to the Social Security System.

RA 8291 or the “GSIS Law� provides that the basic monthly pension may be adjusted upon the recommendation of the president and general manager of GSIS and approved by the President of the Philippines.

At present, the average monthly GSIS pension is P12,560.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

A4

Opinion

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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E d i to r i a l ‘Debt trap,’ other infra fears fizzle under close scrutiny

A

RECENT attempt by some political personalities to sow fear that the Philippines will fall into a Chinese “debt trap� has failed to gain traction, but it serves as a necessary reminder that infrastructure deals with foreign countries should be subjected to greater scrutiny given their paramount importance.

Concerns were raised earlier this week when former Bayan Muna representative and senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares questioned what he called “onerous� provisions of a Chinese loan for the Chico River Pump Irrigation project. Colmenares hit the loan’s unreasonably high interest rate and a provision that “does not recognize our sovereign rights [and] could allow China to take control of our patrimonial properties should we fail to pay the loan.�

The Chico River project will provide irrigation for about 8,700 hectares of farmland in Cagayan and KaLINGA AND IS THE kRST PROJECT kNANCED BY #HINA UNDER THE $UTERTE lAGSHIP g"UILD "UILD "UILDu INFRASTRUCTURE program. Of the P4.37 billion project cost, P3.69 billion is being funded by a loan from China.

The loan comes with an interest rate of 2 percent, compared with between 0.25 percent and 0.75 percent attached to the loans from Japan. Another concern raised by Colmenares was that the agreement with China compels the Philippines to waive its sovereign rights, and that in case our government failed to pay back the loan according to the terms agreed, China could take control of the irrigation project. He cited the example of Sri Lanka’s Hambatota Port, which was essentially handed over to a Chinese consortium after the country defaulted on loans used for its construction.

Other provisions that were criticized include the payment of a $186,000 “management fee� and a 0.3-percent annual commitment fee against any undrawn and uncanceled loan balance.

"UT SUCH CRITICISMS kZZLED BECAUSE THERE IS A REASONable explanation for all of the terms that were feared to be so “onerous.� Comparing China’s interest rate with that from Japan is completely irrelevant. Loans have DIFFERENT PURPOSES AND DIFFERENT SPECIkC TERMS INTEREST rates are not comparable in a general sense. If the government rejected a lower-interest offer from Japan with exactly the same terms as the higher-interest loan from China for the same project, then Colmenares would have an argument. That is not the case here.

The provisions “waiving sovereignty� do appear alarming AT kRST BUT IN REALITY THEY ARE BOILERPLATE PROVISIONS FOUND in any infrastructure or other development loan agreement.

Any foreign funding program contains a dispute resolution mechanism, and the fairest way disputes can be managed is if the parties involved agree to resort to third-party arbitration. As the Philippines is the borrower, it cannot expect to claim “sovereignty� in the case of an unpaid loan, since that would technically amount to expropriation.

Even though Colmenares was comprehensively wrong in his accusations, by making them publicly he may have ironically done a service to the country by drawing attention to the issue of foreign loans. Loan agreements should be transparent, and their terms subject to scrutiny. The government has a duty to explain in clear terms exactly what the country’s responsibilities under a loan agreement are, and justify the decision to accept certain loan terms.

4HANKS TO COMPETENT kNANCIAL MANAGEMENT THE Philippines currently enjoys a reasonably low debtto-GDP ratio of about 42 percent, and of that debt, only 4.5 percent represents debt to China. There is little risk of falling into a “debt trap,� so long as the process remains transparent and thoughtfully assessed. ~

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 147

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor FELIPE F. SALVOSA II, Managing Editor LEENA C. CHUA, News Editor LYNETTE O. LUNA, National Editor TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor PERRY GIL MALLARI, Sports Editor LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, Supplements Editor JOMAR CANLAS, Chief of Reporters RENE H. DILAN, Chief Photographer DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO BLANCA C. MERCADO, #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER RODA A. ZABAT, Advertising Director VICENTE P. CRUZ, JR., Circulation Director DENISE O. CALNEA, Marketing Communications and Services Director Telephone All Departments: 524-5665 to 66; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 Advertising: 524-5664 Local 121 Telefax: 310-5895 or e-mail advertising@manilatimes.net XXX NBOJMBUJNFT OFU t F NBJM OFXTEFTL!NBOJMBUJNFT OFU Letters to the Editor THE MANILA TIMES is published daily at 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002 The owners, managers, publishers and editors do not necessarily share the opinions expressed and the statements made by individual authors of columns, commentaries and other articles published in The Manila Times.

A government of, and not above, laws

I

N a resolution issued last Oct. 2, 2018, the Commission on Audit (CoA) suspended the creation of special teams to initiate investigations AGAINST CANDIDATES AFTER THEY kLED THEIR CERTIkCATES OF CANDIDACY #/#S 3IMply put, the CoA was just ensuring that its resources will not be used in actions that can be construed as partisan in character, as a way to harass candidates. This is because it is enshrined in our Constitution and our system OF LAWS THAT GOVERNMENT OFkCES AND resources should not be used in a partisan way during elections, either to actively promote or to campaign against a particular candidate.

Section 261, letter i of the Omnibus Election Code stipulates that an election offense is committed BY gANY OFkCER AND EMPLOYEE OF THE civil service, except those holding POLITICAL OFkCES ANY OFkCER EMPLOYEE or member of the Armed Forces of

ON THE CONTRARY ANTONIO CONTRERAS the Philippines, or any police force, special forces, home defense forces, barangay self-defense units and all other para-military units that now exist or which may hereafter organized who, directly or indirectly, intervenes in any election campaign or engages in any partisan political activity, except to vote or to preserve public order, if HE IS A PEACE OFkCER u The Supreme Court, in Quinto vs Comelec (GR 189698) decided in

HAS DEkNED POLITICAL OFkCES AS generally referring to those held by ELECTED OFkCIALS 4HE #OMELEC AND the Civil Service Commission, in *OINT 2ESOLUTION IDENTIkED THESE OFkCES AS THOSE OF THE 0RESIDENT

Vice President, and other elective ofkCIALS EXCEPT BARANGAY OFkCIALS WHO are supposed to be nonpartisan, and THEIR PERSONAL AND CONkDENTIAL STAFF Strangely, the joint resolution included Cabinet secretaries even if they are not elected. The reason behind this is probably because they serve as alter egos of the President, and hence carry THE POLITICAL NATURE OF HIS OFkCE It is in this context that one needs to raise a serious question on the propriety of distributing campaign t-shirts of senatorial aspirant and former special assistant to the President Bong Go as part of the conference kit handed out during the Liga ng Mga Barangay sa Pilipinas national assembly. Interior Secretary Eduardo AĂąo and Mayor Sara Duterte have already stated that no government funds were used in the campaign shirts. Go also asserted that he had no knowledge about the distribution of

such t-shirts. Even the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has stated that the distribution and wearing of campaign t-shirts are not prohibited.

But what is entirely missed in the picture is the fact that these campaign t-shirts were distributed to barangay OFkCIALS PEOPLE WHO ARE PROHIBITED by law to engage in partisan political activity. Hence, despite the denials by !Ă„O AS THE #ABINET OFkCIAL UNDER whose jurisdiction the event was HELD AND BY 'O AS THE BENEkCIARY of the act, there must be a concerted effort to investigate the matter and to hold accountable those responsible.

The Comelec must insist on this precisely because it is not just a matter of using government funds that is the issue, but the deliberate attempt TO INDUCE BARANGAY OFkCIALS TO VIOLATE the law. Those t-shirts would not have magically inserted themselves into

ÂłContrerasA5

Q MAKABENTA FROM A1

Two policy tools, two different jobs, one civil servant That one civil servant has been picked to serve both jobs at different times in our government is significant.

The BSP governorship is the highest paying job — higher paying even than the presidency — in the entire Philippine government. In the US, the chairman of the Federal Reserve board of governors is widely regarded as the second most powerful person in America, after the president.

What Mr. Diokno’s in-laws — real or alleged — think about all this may not be relevant.

or the availability of credit.

Central banks typically have used monetary policy to either stimulate an economy or to check its growth. By incentivizing individuals and businesses to borrow and spend, monetary policy aims to spur economic activity. Conversely, by restricting spending and incentivizing savings, monetary policy can act as a brake on inflation and other issues associated with an overheated economy.

The BSP uses three different policy tools to influence the economy: opening market operations, changing reserve requirements for banks and setting the discount rate. It can target changes in the discount rate (the interest rate it charges on loans it makes to financial institutions), to impact shortterm interest rates across the entire economy.

is referred to as deficit spending.

system and various business and industry associations, it has also Keynesian economics been greeted with skittishness and monetarism by others, notably by the Japanb a s e d Nikki Asian Review , 4YPICALLY kSCAL POLICY IS USED WHEN which says that international the government seeks to stimulate investors are nervous about the the economy. It might lower taxes new man in our central bank. or offer tax rebates in an effort Analysts should not gloss over to encourage economic growth. the issue, in deference to hopes )NlUENCING ECONOMIC OUTCOMES for a sterling stint by Diokno via fiscal policy is a core tenet as BSP governor. It should be of Keynesian economics. said that Diokno was both a When a government spends money reformer and a figure of conor changes tax policy, it must choose troversy as budget secretary. His training and study has been in where to spend or what to tax.

Monetarism stands at the oth- economics, not public finance. er end of Keynesian economics.

At the DBM, he was a reformer Monetary and fiscal policy The economist Milton Friedman who sought to reverse the rampant espoused monetarism, the the- practice of underspending by preMonetary policy and fiscal ory that the quantity of money vious administrations, in order to policy are the two most widely in an economy is a critical fac- help unleash new dynamism in recognized tools that a governtor in the overall state of the the government and the economy. ment uses to influence a naeconomy. Friedman believed As a member of President tion’s economic activity. that the Federal Reserve system Duterte’s team of economic manMonetary policy is primarily should let the money supply agers, he principally urged the concerned with the managegrow at a constant rate to avoid administration to adopt a bold ment of interest rates and the destabilizing the economy. course of borrowing to finance total supply of money in circu- Fiscal policy In contemporary times, na- the full modernization of national lation and is generally carried out by central banks, such as Fiscal policy is the attempt of tions are not reduced to a choice infrastructure and the economy.

As budget secretary, he effected the Federal Reserve in America the government to stabilize the between Keynes and monetarism the wholesale insertion of P75 and the Bangko Sentral ng Pili- economy through taxing and in managing their economies.

What happens often now is the billion in the 2019 budget to cover pinas in the Philippines. government spending. The two pork, or earmarks for legislators.

F i s c a l p o l i c y i s a c o l l e c - most widely used means of af- mixing of the two approaches.

The new appointment to the To d ay, e c o n o m i s t s k n ow tive term for the taxing and FECTING kSCAL POLICY ARE CHANGES spending actions of govern- in government spending policies enough to prevent a depression BSP has stunned congressman like the one in the 1930s. But Rolando Andaya Jr. to ease up on ments. National fiscal policy or in government tax policies. is determined by the executive It was the economist John they do not know enough to pre- his crusade to investigate Diokno for alleged budget irregularities. and legislative branches of the Maynard Keynes who put forward vent or avoid minor recessions.

They can, however, devise He now says he will let the next government. The Department IN THE SET OF kSCAL POLICIES TO of Budget and Management stabilize economies at the height policies to stimulate growth, Congress take up the probe. help disadvantaged groups when Even so, the issue will not just (DBM) is the division of the of the Great Depression. executive branch primarily If a government believes there UNEMPLOYMENT RISES OR INlATION go away. It must be sorted out responsible for preparing the is not enough business activ- strikes, and generally make the to give the best face to Diokno’s stint as BSP governor. national budget under presi- ity in an economy, it can in- economy more successful.

As I write this, there is word dential guidelines. crease the amount of money from the Palace that Mr. Diokno it spends, often referred to Not just a change may stay no longer than two Monetary policy as stimulus spending. If there of scenery years at the central bank. are not enough tax receipts to If so, it is premature to anOne of the BSP’s most important pay for the spending increases, The designation of Mr. Diokno to responsibilities is the conduct of governments borrow money by the BSP is more than just a change nounce a new chapter at the monetary policy, the expansion issuing debt securities such as of scenery. It is also a gamble of sorts. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. or contraction of the money sup- government bonds and, in the Although the appointment PLY IN ORDER TO INlUENCE THE COST process, accumulate debt. This has been hailed by the banking yenmakabenta@yahoo.com

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY March 9, 2019

Opinion

A5

Q TULFO FROM A1

Power is temporary, fleeting Villar was the only official in Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Cabinet who did not fear First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

Bebot Villar made GMA win by a landslide in his hometown, Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan, over the movie star Fernando Poe Jr. who was also from Pangasinan. Villar was the mayor of Sto. Tomas at the time.

Out of gratitude, GMA appointed Villar PASG chief, a subcabinet post.

Bebot’s marching orders were to apprehend all the cargoes coming out of the South Harbor and the Manila International Container Port belonging to Vicky Toh and her brother, Tomas Toh. Who is Vicky Toh? She was — and probably still is — a mistress of Mike Arroyo who sired her two children.

Before Villar came into the picture, all the cargo belonging to Vicky Toh were “swing,� meaning they did not pay any taxes and duties.

When GMA formed PASG and appointed Bebot as its head, Vicky and Tomas Toh’s smuggling activities slackened.

It was probably because of Villar — who stood as sponsor at my daughter Gem’s wedding — that the FG never did worse things to me than I had expected.

He probably told FG to lay off me. **** Now, it can be told: I used to be the FG’s close friend until I exposed Vicky Toh’s smuggling activities.

I had GMA’s blessing to expose Vicky Toh. In fact, it was she who encouraged me.

But when the FG came at me hammer and tongs, GMA left me hanging in midair.

Mike Arroyo used all the resources of government to hound me: the Department the of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Justice and the courts.

FG, through a law firm that he had hired, manufactured lies about me extorting from people at the Bureau of Customs. /NE OF THE GUYS WHO kLED AN extortion case against me was a customs janitor-messenger who said I had demanded bribe money from him.

Why would I demand bribe

money from a driver-messenger who, when I confronted him at the Department of Justice, was wearing practically tattered clothes? !NOTHER ONE WHO kLED AN EXtortion case against me upon the instigation of Mike Arroyo was Jose “Joey� Yuchongco, former chief of the customs police.

5P UNTIL THE kLING OF THE EXtortion case, Yuchongco was my friend and drinking buddy.

When he was still assigned at the then Manila International Airport, Yuchongco would escort me up to the tube of the plane whenever I went on trips abroad.

That was how close we were.

Yuchongco was promised a sinecure at customs and got it after he obeyed the FG. Also at the FG’s prompting, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) formed a task force to dig up my “extortion activities.�

The NBI found nothing on me, said former Deputy Director Reynaldo Esmeralda, who headed the task force.

And then there was Lourdes Mangaoang, the then customs

Asean activism: Wildlife law enforcement AMBASSADORS’ W CORNER

HILE aware of the region’s richness in biological resources and its impact on global environmental sustainability, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is likewise concerned that biodiversity loss in the member countries continue to intensify as a consequence OF AMONG OTHERS POACHING TRAFkCKING

consumption of wildlife parts and products with results extending to ecosystems and habitat change as well.

The scale of illegal wildlife trade is alarming. Due to the illicit nature of the trade, it IS DIFkCULT TO OBTAIN EXACT kGURES BUT EXPERTS estimate the value of illegal wildlife trade at US $10 to $20 billion annually.

Almost all wild species, including indigenous medicinal herbs, birds, reptiles, mammals, etc. are traded in the Asean region. Pangolin (scaly anteaters) is the most heavily traded exotic mammal along with the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros, Asian elephant, freshwater turtles and tortoises and numerous rare orchid species. Add to the list the heightened demand for many wild animal species for bushmeat consumption. ! SIGNIkCANT PROPORTION OF WILDLIFE TRAFkCKED THROUGH THE !SEAN REGION IS purchased by wealthy consumers from outside the region. Particularly targeted are species from Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. Smugglers have frequently been caught utilizing transport links through Thailand and Vietnam. Be that as it may, poaching and illegal transit occur in all countries in varying degrees.

Humans are extracting wildlife from forests at more than six times the sustainable rate. This is done mainly through the use of forest trails for transnational smuggling. Increase in commercial logging, on the other hand, opened roads that links forests to hunters of wildlife. National PARKS ARE USED AS TRAFkCKING ROUTES TOO )NCREASING AFlUENCE IN MAJOR CONSUMER markets, i.e. China, together with huge improvements in transportation infrastructure are leading to a heightened demand for many wild animal species.

Fortunately, Asean’s 10 member countries are all signatories to the trade-control-andregulation-oriented Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). In that connection, the problematic implementation of their respective legislations on wildlife conservation and protected areas to prevent the loss of biodiversity easily comes to mind.

CITES is aimed at protecting species that are threatened as a result of international trade. The target is that all trade shall be sustainable. In other words, no more animals or plants are to be removed than the stocks of them can bear. The convention’s provisions apply to the living species included in the convention’s list (the CITES species), and to products from these species. It names about 5,000 animal species and 28,000 plant species, including at least 20,000 orchids.

The convention limits trade in threatened animals and plants by banning imports and exports when they believe the trade will increase the risk that the species will become extinct.

The Asean region has, for a long time, been the target of illegal wildlife traders in the lucrative, multibillion-dollar trade of wildlife in which both live and processed goods of most species are traded.

In 2005, Asean set up the world’s largest wildlife enforcement network addressing the issues of wildlife crime in the region known as Asean-WEN (Wildlife Enforcement Network).

The objective of Asean-WEN is to address the illegal exploitation and trade of CITES-listed species in the region. It links up not only with CITES but also with Interpol and wildlife law enforcement groups in the US. It likewise partners with NGOs like the Asia-based wildlife trade monitoring NETWORK KNOWN AS 4RAFkC As an integrated network among national law enforcement agencies, i.e., customs, police, prosecutors, specialized governmental wildlife law enforcement units, other relevant national law enforcement agencies, it is in close contact with CITES authorities.

4O BE MORE SPECIkC !SEAN 7%. OPERates on two levels: national and regional.

On the national level, each country operates an inter-agency task force composed of wildlife traffic monitoring units, police, customs, park rangers, and wildLIFE ENFORCEMENT OFkCERS 4OGETHER THE national task forces form the backbone of a regional network dedicated to battling transnational wildlife crimes.

Law enforcement in transboundary protected areas is also being bolstered

by Asean-WEN. The network is tasked to facilitate land and marine patrols, aerial surveys and access to existing military border coordination mechanisms. It especially conducts on-the-job training on effective law enforcement.

With Asean-WEN, the region in the past few years has experienced an improvement in wildlife law enforcement action. Along with hi-tech communication and built-up high level of support, the degradation of wildlife somehow slowed down. Integrating different national legal, administrative and judicial structures is still far-off. However, it can be said that the region is reasonably well, considering the circumstances attendant to illegal trade. The network provides law officers and staff the minimum knowledge required to conduct tasks on PATROLLING CONkDENTLY AND SAFELY IN THE Asean tropical forest environment.

In all this, the Asean Center for Biodiversity based at UP Los BaĂąos, an intergovernmental regional biodiversity conservation center of excellence, conducts meetings, workshops and training, and facilitates increased capacity and better coordination and collaboration of law enforcement agencies among Asean member states. It mobilizes resources and continues to forge more partnerships that enhance support for the Asean in meeting commitments to various multilateral environmental agreements like CITES and the Convention on Biological Diversity for the reduction of biodiversity loss, including wildlife loss caused by illegal trade.

AMADO S. TOLENTINO, JR.

COLLECTOR OF #EBU WHO ALSO kLED a case for extortion against me and my brother Raffy.

Raffy and Lourdes were lovers.

They fell out after Raffy told her in the middle of lovemaking to go and wash as her nether regions stank.

No kidding, the court dismissed Mangaoang’s complaint when Raffy told the judge the reason.

The people in the courtroom roared with laughter during the trial. Poor Mangaoang! Until now, she can’t live that down. Karma.

And then there was Cesar Templo, deputy customs commissioner at the time, whom the FG approached and tried to convince to file an extortion case against me.

The FG promised to make Templo the customs commissioner to succeed Napoleon Morales.

Templo didn’t get to succeed Morales as customs commissioner because he refused to do FG’s bidding.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) during the latter part of the Arroyo administration refused to issue me a permit to

carry a firearm outside of my residence upon FG’s order.

I felt helpless as I couldn’t defend myself from a possible armed attack because I was practically deprived of my firearm.

A woman friend told me she was asked by a police general identified with Mike Arroyo not to be seen with me because “malapit-lapit nang ma-ambush yan (he’s about to be waylaid).

Rodrigo “Digong� Duterte, who was then Davao City mayor, interceded on my behalf but was rebuffed by Mike Arroyo, prompting Duterte to suggest that I hide in his city where I could get protection.

Even the Philippine Daily Inquirer, where I used to write a thrice weekly column until late last year, was intimidated after the FG kLED NUMEROUS LIBEL COMPLAINTS against the paper and its editors.

But now all is forgotten and forgiven between me and Mike Arroyo. **** What have I learned from that episode in my life?

That experience buttressed the aphorism that power is tempoRARY lEETING YOU HAVE IT NOW AND it’s gone tomorrow.

Mike Arroyo sent an emissary, a mutual friend who I will not identify, to ask me to apologize to FG and recant all my statements about him and Vicky Toh. “Mon, we still have three more years to go and you will have to suffer more three years,� the emissary said.

I recall telling FG’s emissary: “That’s a matter of perspective.

You only have three more years, and three years is a short time.�

I remember telling FG’s emissary further: “Longafter he and his wife (GMA) are out of power, I’ll still be writing my column.� **** Much ado has been made in some quarters about NCRPO Chief Guilor Eleazar’s actions against a “kotong cop.� Some people say he went beyond bounds.

It was righteous indignation.

If we have more people like EleaZAR IN THE 0.0 OFkCERS CORPS POlicemen will be more disciplined.

Epilogue on a forgotten hero

T

ODAY I launch my book, Dr. Jose P. Laurel Nation Above Self, A Biography.

But, lest you might be having ideas, no, this launch does not happen in SOME GREAT HALL AS BEkTS THE STATURE OF the subject matter but in the utter austerity of the author’s unheralded column.

The book was done back in 2017, which is why Ricardo Jose Ph.D., the benign director of the University of the Philippines Institute of Third World Studies, who wrote the Foreword, deemed it significant that the book was coming out on the 75th anniversary of the Wartime Republic which Dr. Jose P. Laurel headed. Doc Rico, as the eminent historian is known in the UP campus, believed that when I requested him to do the Foreword, the publication of the book would be last year.

Toward the last quarter of 2018, I was rather frantically reminding lawyer Roberto Laurel, the grandson of the late president and the president of the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), about the book’s publication.

MY SAY

MAURO GIA SAMONTE The birth anniversary of Dr. Laurel takes place in first quarter of the year, and giving some three months for the printing job, it should be out well ahead of the late president’s birthday. But it is only this week that Bobby Laurel informed me about the final printing schedule, to take place shortly. That’s a letdown for me. I had anticipated the launch of the book in commemoration of Dr. Laurel’s birth anniversary. “It doesn’t have to be a commemoration, Mao,� Bobby says. “We can launch it once printing is done.�

I agreed certainly, but nobody can deny me that ache of having long desired to gift Dr. Laurel with something on his birthday, yet come that date I would still be unable to do so.

But, hey, wait.

No law prohibits me from doing it on my own, and if not in some posh venue, in the cozy nook of My Say where I am joined anyway by thousands of readers. It’s a grand launch after all!

And so, dear readers, join me in launching this book, Dr. Jose P. Laurel Nation Above Self, A Biography — on this the 128th birth anniversary of the hero of my book.

A review by P s y c h e Ro x a s Mendoza, managing editor of Philippine

Graphic , has this for a kicker: “The 260-page book is a lesson in history that will disturb, perplex, and perhaps even anger those among us who grew up accepting and asserting the ‘America is the hero-Japan is the villain’ dichotomy of the Second World War.�

Malaya editorial writer Diego C. Cagahastian writes a review a salient portion of which reads: “Samonte’s book presents Laurel’s sterling character, sense of personal and family honor, courage and patriotism thru a compelling narrative that is unfettered by chronology.�

Roland Simbulan, UP professor of development studies and public management, comments: “A most spirited account on the complex character of one of the most controversial among Philippine presidents. In probing into the political career of Jose P. Laurel, Samonte reveals a leader of seeming contradictions, a fallible human being made of flesh and blood who, though much vilified, is always a dignified, towering figure.�

Ricardo Jose Ph.D., of the UP history department and the director of the UP Institute of Third World Studies, writes in the Foreword: “Laurel’s life story is one that deserves to be better known, and in particular the years when he served as president of the country.

This book is timely and should be read by many. The author, Mauro Gia Samonte, should be commended for his personal zeal in writing this book, so that more Filipinos will better understand who Laurel really was, the difficulties he faced, and the strength of character that is so important to this country. May this book inspire Filipinos to stand up to the difficulties facing us and strengthen the country.�

For my own initial salvo in this my one-man book launch, let me begin with the ending, or this pertinent portion of the Epilogue: “Try to go around now and ask people who Jose P. Laurel is, chances are not even 1 out of 100 would know him. For the next 100, 1 might say,

ÂłSamonteA6

Q CONTRERAS FROM A4

A government of, and not above, laws the campaign kits without the knowledge and approval of conference organizers, most of whom would probably be barangay ofkCIALS &URTHERMORE T SHIRTS ARE DISTRIBUTED with the intention of being worn. To give this to people who are prohibited by law to wear them, because it amounts to partisan activity, can be construed as a violation. It would do well for Bong Go to insist on an investigation and to have those responsible punished in order to impress even on his supporters that no one is above the law.

There is another serious issue that threatens to undermine the rule of law in this election season, and would make the government of President Duterte as its chief perpetrator. This is on the matter of releasing the list containing the names of so-called narcopoliticians. This act can be construed as undermining the candidacy of a person so accused, and therefore can be interpreted as partisan intervention in

the electoral process. If COA has deliberately withheld initiating investigations against candidates, it behooves us to ask why the President, through relevant government instrumentalities, would release a list of candidates suspected of committing drug offenses during the election period. While the President and his Cabinet are protected by law because they occupy political positions, THE 0.0 AND 0$%!

AND ALL ITS OFkCERS WHO are indirectly involved, may be held liable.

But beyond the violation of election laws, the release of a narcolist outside the ambit of a judicial process is problematic when examined using the lens of the Constitution, particularly against the principle of presumption of innocence. The price that an innocent candidate may suffer may be too steep for the State to bear and may not be outweighed by the urge to cut legal corners in its war against drugs in order to spare the country of the specter of electing

narcopoliticians.

What is even more disturbing is that presidential spokesman Sal Panelo admitted, although denied by PDEA chief Aaron Aquino, that this list was drawn up largely from wiretapped evidence sourced from foreign countries. This brings in more serious questions not only about possible blatant violations of the Anti-wiretapping Law, but also the legitimization of foreign entities spying on our own citizens. We would have a fundamental problem when the State resorts to extra-legal measures to help defeat politicians engaged in the drug trade, and justify this by saying that court proceedings take a longer time.

Winning an election and defeating NARCOPOLITICIANS ARE NOT ENOUGH JUSTIkCAtion for government to turn the law on its head. We have to remind ourselves and the President that we still have a government of, and not above, laws.

A6

Opinion

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY March 9, 2019

HRET should amend its rules; honesty still the best policy ALL INSIGHT T AL S.

HE House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) is the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, election returns and qualifications of the members of the House of Representatives. This authority EMANATES FROM THE SPECIkC PROVIsion of the 1987 Constitution.

The HRET is composed of nine members, three of whom are justices of the Supreme Court and the remaining six House members chosen on the basis of proportional representation from the political parties and the parties or organizations registered under the party-list system.

Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta is at present the chairman of the tribunal. Joining him from the Supreme Court are Associate Justices Estela Perlas Bernabe and Francis Jardeleza.

pendent on who is the ponente of the decision.

VITANGCOL 3RD

may proceed with the revision of the ballots or the examination, verification or re-tabulation of election returns in the remaining contested precincts.�

Note that there are two independent clauses in that paragraph — the tribunal may dismiss the protest without further proceedings, or it may proceed with the revision of the remaining contested precincts. This is rather subjective. When will the TribuNAL CHOOSE THE kRST CLAUSE 7HEN WILL IT CHOOSE THE SECOND CLAUSE In the case that I cited, the HRET choose to terminate the proceedings saying that there was no reasonable recovery from the 25 percent of the protested preHRET’s Rule 40 cincts. Yet, this is a turnaround from its decision in the 2013 The tribunal recently disposed case of Liwayway Vinzons Chato.

OF THE ELECTORAL PROTEST CASE kLED The tribunal, in the Chato case, by a “defeated� candidate X chose the second clause with the against an incumbent congress- reasoning that, “There are still man Y. I will not be mentioning material issues that should be the names of the personalities taken into account. x x x Also, the involved in this case.

RELIABILITY OF THE COMPACT lASH The dismissal of the electoral cards including its admissibility protest was anchored on the was raised by the protestant as an fourth paragraph of Rule 40 of the area of concern which needs pre2015 Revised Rules of the HRET. It CISE AND DEkNITIVE RULING BY THE states that, “Based on the results tribunal. A complete disavowal of such post-revision determina- of the constitutional duty will tion, the tribunal may dismiss the be debased if the tribunal is not protest without further proceed- going to see the whole picture of ings, if and when no reasonable the controversy.� recovery was established from The decision on which path the pilot protested precincts, or to choose is subjective and de-

The ponente is the author

Writing the decision of the case is assigned to a member of the HRET. In the above example, a solon belonging to the same political party as that of Congressman Y wrote the decision. Of course, it is expected that since they belong to the same political party, then the decision would be favorable to his partymate.

Out of delicadeza, if they have one, the ponente should have inhibited himself from the proceedings to avoid any perception OF BIAS 4HE TRIBUNAL IN THE kRST place, should have adopted a rule to this effect. Have they heard of the doctrine of nemo judex in sua causa )T IS A PRINCIPLE OF NATURAL justice that no person can judge a case in which they have an interest. This principle should be strictly applied to any appearance of possible bias, even if there is actually none. Or the an adage says, justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done.

Amend HRET rules The 2015 Revised Rules of the HRET has a total of 80 items. I just discussed a paragraph in Rule 40 and the recusal or inhibition of a ponente (which is not in the Rules at all.)

To preserve its integrity and credibility, and to remove any perceived bias, the HRET should review and amend these rules.

With only 31 cases pending

before it from the 2016 elections (similarly, 37 cases arising from the 2013 elections), I cannot see any reason why time should be a constraint. To make sure that election cases are decided correctly, HRET should abandon the 25 percent principle and instead adopt a full 100 percent examination of the protested precincts.

Honesty is the best policy This is what hogged the headlines on Wednesday – Everybody lies anyway. Honesty should not be an election issue.

7HAT IS THIS (AVE WE DEBASED OUR VERY EXISTENCE !RE WE NOW accepting the fact that we are electing dishonest people to the 3ENATE OF THE 0HILIPPINES Do we want dishonest leaders TO BE IN CONTROL OF OUR COUNTRY Of course not. There’s a myriad of leadership theories explaining how great leaders make their decisions. But there is one that stands out. Being honest makes a leader decide correctly.

Dishonest leaders are in high positions only to accomplish SELkSH GAINS 4HEIR DECISIONS ARE not for the Filipino people, but ONLY FOR THEIR OWN SELkSH GREED Honesty is about more than not lying. It is truth-telling, truth-speaking, truth-living, and truth-loving (James Faust).

Honesty is still the best policy. Do not vote for dishonest candidates.

allinsight.manilatimes@gmail.com www.facebook.com/All.Insight.

Manila.Times

Q SAMONTE FROM A5

Epilogue on a forgotten hero ‘Isn’t he [the one] who was presIDENT !ND COME THE NEXT

1 would be categorical with, ‘He was president,’ but would not say at what point in Philippine history he was president. “Except for informed intellectuals and a highly select sector of scholars such as researchers and students of history — who aggregately consist if but a speck in the spectrum of the Philippine population — Dr. Laurel has been consigned to limbo. “Such is one great tragedy of the Filipino nation. Dr. Laurel has not only gone. He has been forgotten. While the Rizals, the Quezons and the Magsaysays have been consistently held aloft in the esteem of Filipinos, Dr. Laurel seems eternally restricted outside of people’s memorial. At best, he lives in highly exceptional citations in speeches on special occasions and in routine commemorative events. “And yet, if Dr. Jose Rizal, one whole century and a half from

his birth in 1861, continues to live in the minds of even the Filipino young today, he must owe it largely to Dr. Laurel. It was Dr. Laurel who in 1956 co-authored in the Philippine Senate together with Claro M. Recto Republic Act 1425, the Rizal Law, whose full title reads: An Act to Include in the Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities Courses On the Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly His Novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo , Authorizing the Printing and Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes. “As to Quezon, he had that very good reason to hie off to the United States when the Japanese invaded the Philippines.

Dr. Laurel willingly agreed to stay behind ‘at the time the country needed him most’.� “In wartime, Dr. Laurel bore all THE SACRIkCES )N PEACETIME 1UEzon bore all the honors. Quezon

is the only Philippine president to have had a city and at the same time a province named after him.

Dr. Laurel must be content with at least having in turn named after him that small thoroughfare which fringes MalacaĂąan Palace, the former Aviles Street now named “JP Laurel Street‌â€? “And as to Magsaysay, he would not have been the Guy to be president had Dr. Laurel not willed it.

Dr. Laurel’s popularity at the time was at its zenith. With President Quirino terribly discredited for corruption in his government — his use of a golden urinal in Malacaùang being propagated as the ultimate damning aspect of his reign — Dr. Laurel had the presidency for the taking... Laurel not only begged off from the presidential race in 1953 but also maneuvered to get Magsaysay out of the Liberal Party, make him a Nacionalista and the party’s standard bearer in that election, And, as goes the clichÊ, the rest was history. Magsaysay, starting the

tradition of defense secretaries becoming president, won. “Thus did Dr. Laurel effect in one way or another the propagation of the hero images of three of the great national icons of the Filipino people. As to promoting his own heroism, he did not need to go the extra mile to do it any longer. His deeds during the Japanese occupation had done it for him already. He completely rose to the challenge of facing up to the Japanese, thereby, as he would assert time and again, ‘tiding the country over to better times.’ Expert political analysts are of the opinion that a more rash man would have been shot by the enemy right off, while a docile leader would have just acquiesced to the Japanese invasion and delivered the country to the enemy’s whims.�

By next week, the printer’s machines must be starting to churn out the first few thousands of Dr. Jose P. Laurel Nation Above Self, A Biography.

The awesomeness of Tagum history

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HEN I was invited by Xylee Labastida-Palomata, the head for cultural communities affairs of Tagum City, during the Philippine Historical Association conference last September, to give a talk in their city, I knew the place existed in Davao del Norte but I had zero knowledge of it.

Unlike other places in the country that I usually read about in books, Tagum is more or less neglected.

No postcards in the bookstores of any significant place from there.

On my arrival in Tagum last Monday, Xylee and her friends Louie Bryan Lapat and Richi Gulle, toured me around the city.

The three of them are doing pioneering work for the city—the first systematic writing of the local history of Tagum which is not just based on political history but the story of the various cultural communities. The history movement is inspired by their mayor, Sir Allan Rellon, KGOR who happens to be a fellow Knight of Rizal, and who as a young councilor had pushed in 1998 for the creation of the City Historical, Cultural and Arts Council. It was only when he became mayor in 2016 that this materialized; he chairs it with the different sectoral leaders of the city.

They called their history project “Kagikan,� which in Visayan means “background� or “ancestry.� Aside from the book, the forum that I keynoted was the second colloquium on their local history that they have held. It was known before that Magugpo (from the Visayan ugpo-ugpo, moving from one place to another) was the original name of Tagum, but they had recently clarified — based on Spanish documents corroborated by a Mansaka elder, Pyagmatikadung Sucnaan, and other Mandaya and Kagan elders (descendants of Tagum original inhabitants on the banks of Tagum River)—that the name of the place was indeed Tagum, a local name for a flowering plant with the scientific name Indigofera suffruticosa . This instantly connects Tagum to other places in the Philippines named similarly for the indigo plant. The name of Tayum, Abra, and Tayuman, Manila, came from the same plant tayung or tayum, and related to them are other native plants like tina-tinaan (which can refer to 1.

Indigofera tinctorial; 2. Phyllanthus reticulatus ; and 3. Eclipta alba ) and Ixora manila , commonly known as nilad, the plant source of the indigo dye called “nila� (Sanskrit), hence Maynila.

They first brought me to Hijo Resorts Davao. We were welcomed by its operations head, Lani Sta. Maria, who told us on our way to the rainforest that the 700-hectare plantation used to be 2,000 hect-

WALKING HISTORY MICHAEL “XIAOâ€? CHUA ares, a former American colonial plantation of abaca, rubber, coconut and tropical fruits which passed through American hands until it was acquired by JosĂŠ Ramon “Boyâ€? Tuason in 1968. After two years, he died tragically in a plane crash. His daughter, Rosanna Tuason Fores, eventually managed the place and became successful in exporting Cavendish bananas abroad. They even called the seashore “Banana Beach.â€? She then envisioned Hijo as a protected rainforest and resort that also engages with the local cultural community, the Kagan. The term “Hijoâ€? is the Hispanized name for the local term for a place where sharks dwell. Well, that was when, before dynamite fishing destroyed the marine environment that they are now trying to reclaim.

Lani and a young guy named Ralph Kristoffer Porio toured us around the facilities in the middle of the rainforest, and I was so thrilled that I was getting from Ralph as much biology and ecology that I could learn in an hour. :H VDZ PRQNH\V DQG IRU WKH ÂżUVW time in my life, wild boars. We were told there were even tarsiers in the place. I imagined if these fell into the hands of other developers, there would be urban development here but the Tuasons were quite conscious that the rainforests and the mangroves be preserved. At least, Tagumenyos can go to a place where they can have a have a feel of the old Tagum. It was not true that there was nothing in the history of Tagum but forests and the indigenous groups before the Americans came. The forests and the indigenous groups are everything!

That’s why Tagum a few years back planted palm trees to beautify their roads, and developed areas such as the San Agustin Botanical Garden and Energy Park where the 6th Asean Scout Jamboree was held in 2017. Natural history is incarnated in Tagum.

As we were going around the old American plantation, the owner herself, Rosanna Tuason Fores, unexpectedly arrived and even gave me a book about her dad, A Man Called Boy. But what thrilled me more was when I realized why she looked familiar. I rightly recalled that she was one of the three people that one senator judge during the Erap impeachment ejected from the Senate hall for looking at her “provocatively.� Her face was etched in my mind. I was glad to know her.

More on Tagum awesomeness next week.

China sees greater demand for skilled workers amid economic transition

BY LI XINPING, ZHU YUEYING

S

KILLED workers in China are taking pride in their professions as the world’s second largest economy sees huge demand for high-quality workforce to help facilitate its transition. “All roads lead to Rome, and getting a college diploma is not the only way to success,� said Hu Ping, who won the gold medal in fashion technology at the 44th WorldSkills Competition in 2017. “By acquiring a skill and hard work, one can also realize the dream of life,� added Hu, also a student studying costume designing and manufacturing at Beijing Industry and Trade Technicians College. She told People’s Daily that it was the interest that drove her to choose the school.

However, the decision was not easy for her to make, as her relatives and friends all opposed her, she said, adding that one of her uncles even said it was almost IMPOSSIBLE FOR HER TO kND A JOB “Fortunately, the WorldSkills Competition proved my competence and changed the views of my family and friends,� noted Hu. At present, many skilled young

Q On Feb. 25, 2019, Chen Ganfei, deputy to the National People’s Congress and team leader Q Two technical workers in Lianyungang Economic and Technological Development Area, Jiangsu of a lathe group in Jiangxi Gas Compressor Company, communicate with a co-worker over province are installing a numerical control system on Feb.26, 2019. PEOPLE’S DAILY production techniques. PEOPLE’S DAILY people like Hu are receiving new. The courses have been trans- adjusting.

In recent years, the demand enterprises are making constant training at 205 camps across Chi- formed to modern techniques China had a total of 165 million for skilled workers has always progress in automated producna, competing for the quota to at- such as industrial design, 3D skilled workers by the end of 2018, been 1.5 times of the job-seeking tion, saying that the management tend the 45th WorldSkills Com- print and application, applied of which 47.91 million were highly group, and even twice when it and operation of such automation petition in Kazan in southwest biology, and graphic communica- skilled. The numbers registered comes to the highly skilled. equipment would call for higher Russia. They will go through tion, from the traditional techni- rises of 23 percent and 39.3 perApart from the eastern coastal expertise from the workers. rounds of tests and evaluations cal operations of bench-work, cent respectively from 2012.

AREAS THE INSUFkCIENCY OF SKILLED “ I wa n t t o m a k e g r e a t e r in the next few months and only milling, planning and grinding.

However, such workers are still workers is gradually moving to- contributions in production,� one candidate will be finally Technological advances and in- FAR FROM SUFkCIENT AS SKILLED LABOR ward central and western China, said Hu. As a candidate preparing QUALIkED FOR EACH EVENT dustrial upgrading are replacing force only account for around 20 transforming from seasonal f o r t h i s ye a r ’s Wo r l d S k i l l s Nowadays, what students learn outdated professions with new percent of the country’s employ- scarcity to constant short supply. contest, she bears a hope to at technician and vocational ones such as smart equipment ment, and the highly skilled less Experts refuted the views that stand the test from the market. schools is quite different and installation, maintenance and than 6 percent. skilled workers will diminish as PEOPLE’S DAILY

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Mayon spews ash plumes anew MAYON Volcano spewed 300-meter-high grayish ash plumes from a phreatic eruption at 6:27 a.m. on Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

It was the second eruption in 24 hours. Mayon also spewed 500-meter-high grayish ash plumes at 8:11 a.m. on Thursday. Both eruptions dissipated towards the southwest direction, Phivolcs added. “We had an explosion of grayish ash plumes, which means there is some ash mixed with the steam that was generated,� Phivolcs Volcano Monitoring and Eruption officer in charge Winchelle Ian Sevilla told The Manila Times.

Sevilla explained that continuous release of ash plumes could result in ashfall that might cause pulmonary problems among those in the affected areas. But he assured that the recent eruptions were minimal and did not cause ashfall as these dissipated immediately.

Moderate emission of white steam from Mayon’s summit were also observed drifting towards the west-northwest, west-southwest and west directions.

In the past 24 hours, Phivolcs also recorded six volcanic earthquakes, two of which were related to the phreatic events,

and two rockfall events. “These phreatic events have been going on in Mayon, that is why the alert level is still up,� Sevilla said, adding that these could occur every other week or every other month.

Phivolcs has maintained Alert Level 2 or a moderate level of unrest over Mayon Volcano. It warned of sudden explosions, lava collapses, pyroclastic density currents and ashfall in upper to middles slopes of the volcano.

Phivolcs still strictly prohibits entry into the the 6 kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone and the precautionary 7 kilometer-radius Extended Danger Zone in the southsouthwest to east-northeast sector.

These areas include the stretch from Anoling, Camalig to Santa Misericordia in Santo Domingo.

Residents nearby were also warned of the effects of possible rockfalls, pyroclastic density currents, ashfall and lahar in active steam or river channels.

Phivolcs also advised aircraft TO AVOID lYING CLOSE TO THE VOLcano’s summit.

Mayon had been on Alert Level 2 since the eruption in January 2018 that reached up to Alert Level 4. A series of phreatic events last occurred in December 2018.

DIVINAÂ NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ

Regions Bicol raises red flag over rising measles, dengue SATURDAY March 9, 2019

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BY RHAYDZ B. BARCIA

EGAZPI CITY: The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DoH-CHD) in Bicol HAS RAISED THE RED lAG ON THE REGION AS DEATHS FROM MEASLES AND DENGUE WERE REPORTED IN THE kRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR

Ernie Vera, DoH-Bicol regional director, said measles and dengue cases were rising as parents remain hesitant to have their children vaccinated after the dengvaxia controversy.

He said, poor coverage of vacCINATION ACROSS THE REGION SPECIkcally in the province of Albay, was a cause for alarm.

The DoH-CHD, through the Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response, has recorded 493 measles cases in the region as of March 4.

Of this number, 148 cases were in Albay, 122 in Camarines Sur, 106 in Sorsogon, 86 in Masbate, 23 in Camarines Norte, and

7 in Catanduanes.

At least six afflicted children have died — three in Masbate, and one each in Albay, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon.

4HE HEALTH OFkCIAL SAID THAT WHILE the increasing trend could not yet be considered as an outbreak, they HAD CLASSIkED "ICOL UNDER THOSE IN THE RED lAG SITUATION MEANING AN alarming condition. “Measles and dengue are preventable diseases but we’re afraid of the complication of these diseases and we must be proactive. We have also established a fast lane for measles patients in government hospitals,� Vera said.

He added that the DoH in Bicol

Another ‘cocaine’ block found ANOTHER package containing suspected cocaine was found floating on seawater of Baras, Catanduanes, according to the police.

A fisher, identified as John Anthony Tabinas, turned over to Baras Municipal Police a brown and black pack containing white crystalline granules at about 2 p.m. on Thursday.

He said he was fishing at around 11 a.m. when he found the item floating on the water.

T h e r e c ove r e d i t e m wa s turned over to the Philippine National Police (PNP) crime laboratory for further examination.

Authorities have already recovered 111 kilos of cocaine found floating on the eastern shore of the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier claimed that the packs of cocaine came from Colombia drug cartels.

The PNP earlier said the retrieved floating cocaine blocks were not intended for distribution in the country since these have low market among drug users.

Authorities were coordinating with their foreign counterparts to determine the source of the recovered cocaine blocks.

ROY D.R. NARRA

was closely coordinating with its partners and other agencies in the intensive campaign to reduce the prevalence of measles and would continue providing technical assistance to all areas.

To prevent a possible outbreak, the DoH-CHD is enforcing a three-phase immunization approach to control and prevent the spread of measles. “We’re personally conducting BOTH kXED POINT AND COMMUNITY based house-to-house catch-up immunization with local government unit health personnel to ensure that the children are protected. That is why we call on the full cooperation of parents and everyone to have their children vaccinated,� Vera said.

Dengue cases also rising The DoH-CHD has reported 756 dengue cases from January to -ARCH WITH kVE DEATHS OF CHILdren from six to 10 years old.

Camarines Sur had the highest incidence of dengue with 425,

A7

next is Sorsogon with 110, Albay with 88, Camarines Norte with 63, Masbate with 47 and Catanduanes with 22.

But the DoH warned that while Camarines Sur had the highest cases of dengue, the provinces of Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Masbate and Catanduanes posted the highest number of cases compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Foundation (UNF) report said that the measles outbreak was on the rise globally despite effective vaccine.

It said that measles, one of the world’s most contagious diseases, does not respect borders.

As outbreaks continue across the US and other countries, and travelers continue to bring measles to places like Costa Rica where it was once eliminated, the UNF said it was clear that this global problem requires a global solution, which is vaccine.

It added that measles immunization had already saved 21 million lives and reduced deaths by 80 percent since 2001.

$1-B thermal power plant to rise in Bataan

GOOD GOVERNANCE

Hugpong ng Pagbabago Chairman and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio raises the hand of Laguna Gov. Emilio Ramon ‘ER’ Ejercito for his advocacy on good governance and federalism. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BALANGA CITY, Bataan: ! +OREAN kRM on Thursday entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the provincial government to build a $1billion 600-megawatt thermal power plant in Bataan.

Gov. Albert Garcia said the project, which will give employment to at least 10,000 workers, will be a publicprivate partnership with Hanjo Group Manufacturing, Inc. of Seoul, Korea. “Aside from job creation and development for Bataan, the thermal power plant is a clean source of energy. As demand for energy increases, it is good to know that our partners think clean and green,� Garcia said.

Kibum Kim, an investor to the project, said they would hire Filipino workers and would not bring in Koreans. “No, no, I don’t think so. We will get workers here. Filipino workers are very good on the tech-

nical side,� he said.

Garcia thanked the Koreans and Japanese partner Chris Takayama, (ANJO CHIEF kNANCE OFkCER FOR CHOOSing to locate the plant in Bataan. “I hope this will be the start of something big for Bataan,� the governor said.

Hak Joo Choi, Hanjo chief operATING OFkCER WAS ALL PRAISES FOR THE province. “Bataan is Cental Luzon’s gold,� he said through an interpreter.

Explaining the importance of the project, he added: “This is an answer to the increasing need for CLEAN ENERGY IN THE NEXT kVE YEARS And it will further boost the Philippines’ energy capacity.�

The thermal power plant will be in addition to the coal power plants already operating in Bataan as well as those under construction in Limay and Mariveles towns.

ERNIE B. ESCONDE

TF Bangon Marawi to relocate all displaced persons MARAWI CITY: Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) continues the profiling, or social cartography for structures and land properties, inside the city’s most affected area (MAA) after the 2017 Marawi Siege to accommodate all internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Under the TFBM-Land Resource Management (LRM) subcommittee, Solid Waste ManageMENT 0ROJECT /FkCER 3ITTIE !LMAIrah Lomondot of the Department

Nationinbriefs BI ARRESTS 3 AMERICAN FUGITIVES THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested three American fugitives in separate police operations over their involvement in sex crimes, battery and assault.

The BI-Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) nabbed Michael James Wuest, 61, residing in MontaĂąa Vista, Cagayan De Oro City, who was facing arrest warrant from the Magistrate Court in Bexar County, Texas over his failure to register as a sex offender. The US Department of State has revoked his passport. Another US fugitive identified as Apollo Cioffi, 46, was arrested for assault case before a superior court in San Francisco. Meanwhile, William Schweizer, 32, was nabbed at the Tivoli Garden Residences in Mandaluyong on March 5 for charges of felony battery by strangulation before a circuit court in Broward County, Florida. BI-FSU chief Bobby Raquepo said both Cioffi and Schweizer were overstaying and undocumented aliens as their passports were already revoked by the State department. He said Cioffi came into the country in March 2017, while Schweizer arrived in July 2015. CATHERINE A. MODESTO

BAGUIO’S SPORTSMAN PADILLA, 87 BAGUIO CITY: Narciso Padilla, a sportswriter, photographer, event organizer and known as Baguio’s Santa Claus for more than 40 years, died on Tuesday.

He was 87. Padilla, who writes a regular column for SunStar Baguio , is survived by his wife Soledad and three of his five children — Marisol Buena, Ramon and Gerry. Padilla served as city councilor from 1992-1995.

He was the Baguio Tourism Officer in the early ‘70s and started the Silahis

of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) in Region 10 said they were now mapping displaced residents and their properties in Barangay Lumbaca Marinaut, which is in Sector 9 of MAA. DENR Assistant Secretary Michelle Go is leading the LRM’s social cartography process which started on Sept. 15, 2018 at MAA’s Sector 1, with the DENR technical crew from

OTHER REGIONAL OFkCES IN -INDANAO

Marawi local government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

In the MAA are 24 of Marawi City’s 96 barangay (villages). These are divided into nine sectors and are also undergoing debris management by the TFBM Inter-agency committee on debris clearing under the National Housing Authority.

Lomondot said that as soon as they finish mapping all sectors, they would get back to the

ng Pasko , a multi-event month long festivity for December. Thousands of children join the Children’s Mardi Gras every December 1, when he played Santa Claus, officially starting the Silahis Month. Early in January, he was brought to the hospital due to fatigue after the Silahis event but later recovered. On Monday night, he was rushed to the hospital with barely a pulse. Padilla served as Gintong Alay camp director of Micheal Keon, who oversaw for the needs of the country’s athletes like Lydia de Vega, Guido del Prado, Elma Muros and local hero Hector Begeo. He was also responsible for putting up busts of Baguio’s builders like Daniel Burnham at Burnham Park, Lyman Kennon at the viewdeck of Zigzag along Kennon Road, and Justice George Malcolm, who drafted Baguio’s charter. He served as president of the Baguio Correspondents Club and president of the National Correspondents Club of Baguio. THOM F. PICANA

DOST ASSURES CONTINUOUS SUPPORT TO MSME TARLAC: The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) assured its continued support to micro-small-medium enterprises (MSME) through the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (Set-Up). In a statement, Jenina Cristel Malonzo, DOST Central Luzon Senior Science Research Specialist and Set-Up program manager, said the agency was keen on helping businesses expand their technological innovations by providing aid through equipment acquisition. Malonzo said that for loans amounting to P3 million and below, approval would be at the regional level, while for those over the amount would be endorsed to the DOST Central Office. Priority sectors for Set-Up in Central Luzon include food processing, furniture, agriculture, metals and engineering, gifts,

displaced residents of Norhaya village on March 19, which was rescheduled earlier. “Although we can finish all sectors of MAA next week, we still have to accommodate the displaced residents from other secTORS WHO WERE NOT ABLE TO PROkLE their properties. We will resume this month to ensure that all IDPs from MAA will be catered to,�

Lomondot said. “The TFBM-LRM subcommittee

will again be mapping Barangay Marinaut West on March 11, Barangay Datu Naga on March 12, Barangay Dansalan on March 13, and Barangay Datu Sa Dansalan on March 14,� she added.

TFBM’s social cartography is being held at the tennis court of the Lanao del Sur Provincial Capitol in Marawi City from Sunday to Thursday every week. Consolidation of data is done on Fridays.

MASIDING NOOR YAHYA

decors and handicrafts, and Halal programs and services. New sectors include creative industry, energy and environment, and development of software and information technology tools are also included among the priority sectors. Those interested of availing the aid must submit a letter of intent, a comprehensive project proposal and one-year financial statement (FS) for micro enterprises or three years FS for small and medium businesses.

JERRY M. HERNANDEZ

BAGUIO BUS FIRMS GIVEN ANTI-SMOKING CDS BAGUIO CITY: The Smoke-Free Baguio Task Force started distributing compact discs (CDs) containing salient information about the Smoke-Free Baguio Ordinance to bus companies here as the city government continue its campaign to make the Summer Capital “smoke-free city.� Task force member Catherine Cimatu said they had requested the bus companies to play the CDs several times during the trips to create awareness among the passengers on the ordinance. Councilor Joel Alangsab, principal author of the ordinance, urged every sector to cooperate with the city government in making Baguio “smoke-free� as everybody deserves to breathe clean air. Ordinance 34 prohibits the use, sale, distribution and advertisement of cigarettes/e-cigarettes and other tobacco products in certain places, imposing penalties, and providing funds thereof. Those caught smoking or vaping would be fined P1,000 for the first offense; P2,000 for the second offense; and P3,000 for the third offense. Those selling, advertising and promoting tobacco products are fined P2,000 for the first offense; P3,000 for second offense and P5,000 for the third offense. It also imposes imprisonment not exceeding three months at the court’s discretion for subsequent offenses, while business establishments might face suspension or revocation of business license or permit. GABY B. KEITH

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SATURDAY March 9, 2019

News

MRT deploys third train from China

BY LISBET ISMAEL

T

HE third Chinese-made train set was deployed by the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) on Friday to service commuters, ALMOST kVE MONTHS AFTER THE DEPLOYMENT OF A similar train.

The MRT-3 management said has completed its 1,000-kilometer the third train, acquired from commissioning test.

4HE TRAIN WOULD SERVICE -24 #HINESE kRM #22# $ALIAN #O

passengers until March 11, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. “The said train set has yet to complete the necessary 150 hours of revenue service deployment as part of the reliability, availability, maintainability and safety validation,� the MRT said in a statement.

4HE kRST TRAIN SET WAS ADDED TO the MRT-3 service on October 27, WHILE THE SECOND WAS DEPLOYED ON December 11.

4HE kRST TWO TRAINS ARE SET FOR permanent deployment on the MRT-3 line this March, Transportation Undersecretary for 2AILWAYS 4IMOTHY *OHN "ATAN said recently.

The government in 2016 purchased 48 trains from the ChineseGOVERNMENT OWNED kRM TO BE USED for the MRT-3, but they have been idle due to issues of incompatIBILITY LIKE WEIGHT SIGNALING AND maintenance.

END OF THE ROAD A suspected car thief lies dead on a grassy portion of Southville 3 in Muntinlupa City.

Four suspected car robbers were killed on Friday in a shootout with police officer.

PHOTO BY RUSSEL PALMA

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Go visits fire victims between sorties IN BETWEEN HIS BUSY CAMPAIGN schedule, former special assistant TO THE 0RESIDENT #HRISTOPHER ,AWRENCE g"ONGu 'O TOOK TIME TO VISIT AND COMFORT kRE VICTIMS IN "ARANgay South Cembo in Makati City.

A fire that hit a residential area on Monday night destroyed 20 houses and displaced at least 36 families. “'ALING PO AKO SA ISANG rally sa !NTIPOLO 2IZAL pero nabalitaan ko may nasunungan dito sa Makati (I have just been to a rally IN !NTIPOLO 2IZAL AND ) HEARD THAT A kRE HIT -AKATI u 'O SAID on Tuesday.

'O ATTENDED THE (UGPONG NG 0AGBABAGO (.0 REGIONAL PARTY kick off rally for its senatorial SLATE IN !NTIPOLO #ITY IN 2IZAL (E rushed later to a Partido DemokraTIKO 0ILIPINO ,AKAS NG "AYAN RALLY to join hisparty mates.

'O REITERATED THAT HELPING kRE victims take higher priority than pursuing his senatorial campaign. “ Kaya hininto ko muna pansamantala ngayon yung pangangampanya at nagpunta po ako dito para magbigyan kaagad n g a t e n syo n a n g k a n i l a n g mga problema, at maparating kaagad sa mga kinauukulan ang kanilang mga hinaing upang mabigyan kaagad ng tulong itong mga nasunugan (I stopped campaigning and WENT HERE ;IN -AKATI= TO GIVE

immediate attention to their problems, and communicate their needs to concerned govERNMENT AGENCIES u 'O SAID After attending a rally in San &ERNANDO 0AMPANGA ON THE kRST CAMPAIGN SORTIE OF THE (.0 'O RUSHED TO 0ASAY #ITY TO COMFORT kRE victims before going to the next (.0 ENGAGEMENT IN !NGELES CITY 'O EARLIER VOWED TO HELP kRE VICTIMS ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY “Pangako ko yan eh. Noon, ngayon at kung saan man ako ipadpad ng aking tadhana. Kahit saang eskinita, papasukin ko para makapagbigay ng serbisyo at tulong sa inyo 4HAT IS MY VOW .O MATTER WHERE FATE LEADS ME ) WILL enter any street or alley to serve),� he said. /NE OF 'O S LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMS IS TO PROMOTE kRE PROTECTION AND prevention.

(E CALLED ON kRE VICTIMS WHO need medical attention to go to -ALASAKIT #ENTERS WHERE THEY CAN be treated for free.

A program of the Duterte adMINISTRATION BASED ON 'O S INITIAtive, a Malasakit Center makes it easier and faster for poor patients TO AVAIL OF MEDICAL AND kNANCIAL assistance from government agencies such as the Department of (EALTH $EPARTMENT OF 3OCIAL 7ELfare and Development, Philippine #HARITY 3WEEPSTAKES /FkCE AND 0HILIPPINE (EALTH )NSURANCE #ORP

Belmonte signs pact with QC women leaders

4 suspected car thieves die in shootout FOUR suspected car thieves WERE KILLED IN A SHOOTOUT WITH police authorities Friday morning in Muntinlupa City.

4HE FOUR WERE NEUTRALIZED BY

operatives of the Philippine .ATIONAL 0OLICE (IGHWAY 0ATROL 'ROUP AT 0OBLACION AT A M Initial reports said the police operatives spotted and flagged

DOWN A (YUNDAI !CCENT WHICH 5PON VERIFICATION IT WAS WAS A SUBJECT OF A &LASH !LARM found out that the vehicle’s The officers signaled the driv- CONDUCTION STICKER WAS ASSIGNED er of the vehicle to pull over, but TO A (YUNDAI %ON the car occupants opened fire.

ROY D.R. NARRA

'/6%2.-%.4 agencies at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) reminded travelers bringing meat products into the country to secure import permits to avoid inconvenience.

4HE "UREAU OF #USTOMS "O# and other government agencies OPERATING AT .!)! HAVE INTENSIkED

monitoring activities to guard the border against tainted meat.

Only safe meat products accompanied by import permit or the Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary IMPORT CLEARANCE WILL BE ALLOWED for release.

"UREAU OF !NIMAL )NDUSTRY "!) OFkCIALS HEADED BY 3IMEON

!MURAO *R !ND -AY -AGNO CHAIRMAN OF THE .ATIONAL !FRICAN 3WINE &EVER 4ASK &ORCE WARNED AGAINST the entry of pork meat and meat products from countries affected WITH !FRICAN 3WINE &EVER SUCH AS #HINA "ELGIUM (UNGARY ,ATVIA

Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.

"!) OFkCIALS SAID THAT IN 3EPtember and October 2018, cases of pork meat product contamination WERE REPORTED IN +OREA AND *APAN 4HE "!) SAID AN OUTBREAK OF THE virus could affect the 40 million hogs and destroy the P2-billion SWINE INDUSTRY BENJIE L. VERGARA

Q HOOKED FROM A1

Research said.

WhatsApp and Instagram are part of Facebook.

0EW 2ESEARCH #ENTER ALSO REported that Facebook is popular among young Filipino adults.

4HE REPORT SHOWED THAT PERcent of Filipinos aged 18 to 29 use Facebook, compared to 57 percent for ages 30 to 49 and 21 percent for adults above 50.

Facebook as a sole social media platform is used by 99 percent of Filipinos. /F THOSE WHO USE ONLY ONE platform for social media, almost every Filipino uses Facebook for their social media use, at a rate of PERCENT FOLLOWED BY 6IETNAM (98 percent), Tunisia (93 percent), 6ENEZUELA PERCENT AND +ENYA (65 percent).

-EANWHILE PERCENT OF PEOple in Lebanon use WhatsApp as their sole social media platform, FOLLOWED BY )NDIA PERCENT AND

South Africa (77 percent). “Younger and more educated people are more likely to go onLINE u 0EW 2ESEARCH SAID It added that young Filipinos WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE THE )Nternet. ! GRAPHIC SHOWED THAT PERCENT OF &ILIPINOS BETWEEN AGES 18 and 29 are likely to go online, compared to 65 percent for ages 30 and 49 and 30 percent for those above the age of 50.

4HE 0EW 2ESEARCH SURVEY WAS conducted among adults from 11 countries, including the Philippines.

The survey found that the vast majority of adults in these countries have access to a mobile phone of SOME KIND WITH PERCENT USING A smartphone capable of accessing the internet and running apps.

Most of these people said they PERSONALLY BENEkT FROM THE TECHnology: More than 9 in 10 say the devices have helped them stay in

TOUCH WITH LOVED ONES AND NEARLY 8 in 10 said they use them to get NEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT IMportant issues.

"UT WHEN ASKED IF MOBILE phones and social media have been good for society, the responsES WERE MIXED WITH MANY EXPRESSing concerns about the impact of digital technologies on children.

Some 79 percent of adults surveyed said people should be very concerned about children being exposed to harmful or immoral CONTENT AND NEARLY TWO THIRDS SAID MOBILE PHONES HAVE HAD A BAD INlUence on children in their country. “The rapid advancement of the mobile-social package invites people to think about the role of these devices in their lives and to LOOK AROUND AND SEE HOW THEY might be affecting their societies,�

SAID ,EE 2AINIE 0EW S DIRECTOR OF internet and technology research.

ARIC JOHN SY CUA AND AFP

VICE -AYOR *OSEFINA g*OYu "ELmonte on Friday signed a covenant WITH LEADERS OF THE 1UEZON #ITY Community Women Leaders’ FedERATION TO UPHOLD WOMEN S RIGHTS AND WELFARE g!S A LEADER ) STAND WITH ALL THE WOMEN IN OUR CITY BY PROmoting programs that support WOMEN S RIGHTS AND WELFARE Maaasahan po ninyo na ako ang unang titindig para sa mga programang kailangan ng kababaihan sa ating lungsod (You can depend on me to stand for PROGRAMS NEEDED BY WOMEN IN THE CITY u "ELMONTE SAID DURING THE 1UEZON #ITY 7OMEN Convention on Friday.

She pledged to implement the programs listed in the group’s POINT AGENDA WHICH INCLUDE DISTRICT HOSPITALS WITH SPECIALTY

CLINIC FOR WOMEN ILLNESSES AND mental health, district colleges or technical vocational center WITH STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES and a livelihood, training and SHOWCASE CENTER FOR THE WOMEN entrepreneurs.

"ELMONTE VOWED TO CREATE SHELters and homes for abandoned SENIOR CITIZENS A HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER FREE MAINTENANCE MEDICINES SCHOLARSHIP AND kNANCIAL GRANTS CHILD MINDING CENTERS A HOUR EMERGENCY HOTLINE AND a holistic anti-drug education campaign.

"ELMONTE ASSURED THE MEMBERS of the federation that the 10-point AGENDA SIGNED WERE IN HER PLATFORM OF GOVERNANCE WHILE SOME WERE INCLUDED IN THE ORDINANCES passed by the City Council.

JAIME R. PILAPIL

Q ANSWERS FROM A1

MH370 families demand BoC: Pork imports should have permits answers, five years on

Filipinos The median usages of social MEDIA WORLDWIDE ARE &ACEBOOK (62 percent), WhatsApp (47 percent), Instagram (20 percent), 4WITTER PERCENT 3NAPCHAT percent), Viber (4 percent) and Tinder (2 percent).

0EW 2ESEARCH SAID THE SURVEY WAS BASED ON HOW ADULTS USE THE platforms. g2ESPONDENTS WERE ASKED ABOUT their use of seven different social media platforms and messaging apps,� it said. g4HESE PLATFORMS WERE CHOSEN based on three criteria: high usage rates, input from local survey ORGANIZATIONS AND TO CAPTURE A range of different types of sites WITH DISTINCTIVE FEATURES u 0EW

239 people — mostly from China — en route from Kuala Lumpur TO "EIJING .O SIGN OF IT WAS FOUND IN a 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) Indian /CEAN SEARCH ZONE AND THE !UStralian-led hunt, the largest in AVIATION HISTORY WAS SUSPENDED IN *ANUARY ! 53 EXPLORATION kRM LAUNCHED a private hunt last year, but it ended after several months of scouring THE SEABED WITHOUT SUCCESS Around 50 relatives of Chinese PASSENGERS TRAVELED TO "EIJING from around the country to mark the anniversary and gathered OUTSIDE THE FOREIGN MINISTRY WITH SOME WEEPING AS POLICE OFkCERS looked on.

(U 1IUFANG TOLD !GENCE &RANCE Presse that family members had spent the past year pleading to see the foreign minister, but they WERE ONLY GRANTED A MEETING WITH A LOW LEVEL OFkCIAL ON &RIDAY WHO TOLD THEM THERE WERE NO UPDATES “The Chinese government DOESN T LISTEN TO US WE FEEL VERY helpless,� said the 78-year-old, WHOSE SON WAS ON THE lIGHT “As our country, China should be supporting the families.� *IANG (UI WHOSE MOTHER WAS ON THE lIGHT SAID HE WAS STILL HAUNTED

by the tragedy: “It’s like a living nightmare, the scene replaying in my head.�

Malaysian family members, MEANWHILE CALLED FOR THE SEARCH to be restarted.

4HEY WERE GIVEN A GLIMMER OF HOPE LAST WEEKEND DURING A MEMORIAL IN +UALA ,UMPUR WHEN THE Malaysian transport minister said HE WAS OPEN TO HEARING PROPOSALS to resume the hunt. g7E WILL CONTINUE TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THE SEARCH GOES ON u 'RACE .ATHAN

WHOSE MOTHER !NNE $AISY WAS ON THE lIGHT SAID “As long as there’s the possibility OF A SEARCH WE REMAIN HOPEFUL THAT the plane can be found.� *ACQUITA 'ONZALES WHOSE HUSBAND 0ATRICK 'OMES WAS AN -( lIGHT STEWARD SAID gEVERY TIME -ARCH COMES IT S LIKE IT WAS only yesterday that our loved ones WENT MISSING ‡ IT S VERY HARD u )N A LONG AWAITED kNAL REPORT INTO THE TRAGEDY RELEASED IN *ULY LAST YEAR THE OFkCIAL INVESTIGATION team pointed to failings by air trafkC CONTROL AND SAID THE COURSE OF THE PLANE WAS CHANGED MANUALLY "UT THEY FAILED TO COME UP WITH ANY kRM CONCLUSIONS LEAVING RELAtives angry and disappointed.

AFP

ASIAN STOCKS: W S h a n g h a i 4 . 4 0 %

W S i n g a p o re 1 . 0 4 %

P52.25 TO $1

PSEi 7,797.11 DOWN 1.07%

www.manilatimes.net W Seoul 1.31%

W To k yo 2 . 0 1 %

W Jakarta 1.16%

MONEY TALKS

W H o n g Ko n g 1 . 9 1 %

B2

W

SATURDAY MARCH 9, 2019

Business Times

CURRENCY RATE

B1

W B a n g ko k 0 . 1 9 %

Diokno: ‘There’s room’ to ease monetary policy

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

P

OLICY RATE CUTS ARE POSSIBLE GIVEN SLOWING INlATION BUT monetary authorities will need more data before they pull THE TRIGGER NEWLY INSTALLED "ANGKO 3ENTRAL NG 0ILIPINAS "30 'OVERNOR "ENJAMIN $IOKNO SAID ON &RIDAY

g'IVEN THE DECELERATING INlATION IN THE Philipines, there’s an opportunity for monetary easing‌,� Diokno told reporters durING HIS kRST PRESS BRIEkNG AS THE NEW CENTRAL bank chief.

He stressed, however, that policy decisions would remain data dependent, “so we will look at those data and make a decision based on that.�

As to timing, Diokno

Q BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno.

PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

again said “there’s room for monetary policy easing if the present situation continues� and added that any announcement would be made “at an appropriate time.� )NlATION kNALLY RETURNED TO THE PERcent government target last month, slowing to 3.8 percent after hitting a nine-year peak of 6.7 percent in September-October.

Last year’s surge prompted monetary authorities to raise key interest rates five consecutive times — for a total of 175 basis points — before pausing in December and

&EBRUARY 7ITH THE NEXT POLICY MEETING SCHEDULED FOR -ARCH SOME ANALYSTS EXPECT the BSP to act, at the very least resuming cuts to the reserve requirement ratio (RRR).

Diokno said this would be considered but reiterated that it would have to be supported by data. “As I said, our policy will be determined by analyses, [be] evidenced-based, and will be decided upon by the Monetary Board,� he said. “I cannot on my own decide on the cut in the reserve requirement but will be taken up by the Board,� he added.

The RRR is the proportion of deposits that banks need to keep with the Bangko Sentral against the sum they can loan out to borrowers.

Currently at 18 percent following two cuts last year, it is still considered as one of the highest in the region.

Slowdown fears drive PSEi plunge

Over P235B raised as RTB offering ends THE government has raised a total of P235.93 billion from its latest retail treasury bond (RTB) offering, National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said on Friday.

She did not provide additional details but the amount disclosed was nearly eight times more than the P30 billion the government initially said it planned to sell.

Strong demand allowed the government to raise P131 billion as it launched the offering last February 26. The offer period closed Friday, March 8.

4HE kVE YEAR 24"S PRICED AT A COUpon of 6.250 percent, were purchased by small investors in minimum denominations of P5,000. The last kVE YEAR 24" S OFFERED IN $ECEMBER 2017 fetched 4.625 percent.

Proceeds from the issuance

will be used for health services, educational programs, and public infrastructure, among others. “The resounding success of our RTB issuances highlights the increasing awareness of Filipinos on investment opportunities that do not only help them realize their personal goals, but also allow them to directly partake in building our nation,� de Leon said last week.

RTBs are generally considered low-risk for investors, allowing THEM TO EARN A kXED INTEREST BASED on prevailing market rates and are paid quarterly over the term of the bond.

4HE LATEST OFFERING IS THE kFTH FOR the Duterte administration following two in 2017, one in September 2016 and one in May 2018.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

Ending on-street competition

T

HIS WEEK THE .ATIONAL 7AGES and Productivity CommisSION .70# ANNOUNCED NEW guidelines regarding a “partFIXED PART PERFORMANCE BASED compensation scheme� for drivers and conductors in public utility buses. This report was lauded in several news articles as ending commission-based compensation for drivers—seen as the cause of bad driving behavior and many vehicle crashes.

7HEN WE OBSERVE BUSES LINgering at bus stops, blocking vehicles behind them, or racing down the road to collect waiting riders ahead of other buses, this reckless driving behavior is the natural consequence of the incentive scheme offered to the driver. Every additional passenger means more take-home pay for the driver. Drivers who work over 16 hours each day to achieve their daily revenue goal help to ensure the continued PROkTABILITY OF THE BUS COMPANY

but their long hours spent behind the wheel also endanger the lives of passengers and pedestrians.

Is anything going to change UNDER THE NEW .70# GUIDELINES First the good news. Under the .70# 'UIDELINES .O 3ERIES of 2019, drivers and conductors WILL BE ENTITLED TO A kXED SALARY which should not be lower than the applicable minimum wage for the region. They will also be entitled to receive wage-related benefits such as overtime pay, night-shift differential, service

MOBILITY MATTERS

ROBERT SIY incentive leave, 13th month pay, and holiday and premium pay.

This ensures that drivers will have some minimum take-home pay, regardless of the number of passengers serviced.

The bad news is that the new .72# GUIDELINES

BY ALLOWING ridership-based and revenuebased incentives, have retained the same incentives that foster on-street competition. Under the .70# GUIDELINES OPERATORS CAN devise a “performance-based� reward system that includes such factors as “revenue, ridership, safety, specific conditions of routes, and other relevant parameters�. This means that drivers will still consider each additional rider as additional take-home pay; accordingly, we will still see the same propensity to linger at bus stops and to battle to grab the NEXT PASSENGER 4HE NEW .70# GUIDELINES appear to be inconsistent with the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Department Order 2017-011, popularly known as the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG). Section 2.1 of the OFG states that “As a basic policy, public utility vehicle (PUV) drivERS SHALLwBE ON kXED SALARY AND BENEkTS WITH NO COMPENSATION

ÂłMobility B2

SYNCHRONIZED POURING

Attendants prepare to pour tea before the arrival of Chinese leaders for the second plenary session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 8, 2019. China’s rubber-stamp parliament took up a draft foreign investment law that could help smooth out trade talks with the US. AFP PHOTO

THE stock market retreated on Friday, joining a global rout triggered by renewed fears of a global economic slowdown.

The benchmark Philippine 3TOCK %XCHANGE INDEX 03%I dropped by 1.07 percent or 84.68 points to close at 7,797.11 while the wider All Shares declined by 0.59 percent or 28.74 points to kNISH AT

AAA Southeast Equities Inc. President Matthew Cabangon said market players sold on NEWS THAT #HINESE EXPORTS HAD plunged by more than 20 percent in February, sparking fears of a global slowdown.

ÂłPlunge B3

Dutch shipbuilder urged to invest in PH Soundings to precede debt offers A DUTCH company tagged as a possible white knight for a bankrupt Subic shipbuilder is being enticed by the government to invest in the Philippines.

The Trade department on Friday SAID THAT OFkCIALS HAD MET WITH Damen Shipyard Group repre-

sentatives who were currently in town to look into opportunities such as supplying the Philippine Navy and a tieup with Hanjin Heavy Industries and ConstrucTION 0HILIPPINES )NC WHICH kLED for corporate rehabilitation last January.

“Shipbuilding is one of our priority industries not just in Subic, but also in many locations in our ARCHIPELAGIC COUNTRY 7E HAVE THE required manpower and skillset for new shipbuilders,� Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a statement.

the process of delineating “go and no-go zones� for mining applicaTIONS IDENTIkED UNDER %XECUTIVE Order (EO) 79.

EO 79, issued in 2012 by then President Benigno Aquino 3rd, imposed a moratorium on new mineral production sharing agreements, among others, “until legislation rationalizing revenue

MARKET SOUNDING EXERCISES WILL be conducted before the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) uses its newly-restored authority to issue DEBT INSTRUMENTS A SENIOR OFkCIAL said on Friday. g7E WILL TALK TO OUR STAKEHOLDers, meaning the banks, the business community on the more acceptable instruments,� central bank Deputy Governor Diwa Guingundo told reporters.

Republic Act (RA) 11211, signed into law last month, amended RA 7653 or the New Central Bank Act of 1993. Among others, it restored the central bank’s authority to

ÂłZoning B2

ÂłOffers B3

ÂłInvest B3

MICC urged to focus on zoning rules STRICTER implementation of zoning rules should be a top priority of the interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council, the Finance department said on Friday.

In a statement, the department quoted Finance Secretrary Carlos Dominguez 3rd as calling on the council to work with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Department of Interior and Local Govern-

F

ment “on zoning rules basically to prevent housing or any construction in quarry areas, and mining areas that have been determined to be in a geohazard area.�

This would be included in the MICC’s workplan for 2019.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), meanwhile, has already been tasked by the MICC to study

Fintech companies are more customer centric

INANCIAL technology (fintech) can be A DIFkCULT CONCEPT TO UNderstand. People often overlook at the idea that technology can create a new financial platform THAT IS CONVENIENT AND EFkCIENT 7E ARE ALL living in a world where things are progressive, and change is the only thing that is CONSTANT 7HEN WE THINK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY

we think of state-of-the-art inventions that only the digital natives can understand.

(OWEVER THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR kNANCIAL TECHNOLOGY )N FACT kNANCIAL TECHNOLOGY IS created to give business owners and individuals an option to get funding. Financial

technology allows people to get access to funding in the convenience of their OWN OFkCES AND HOMES Majority of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the Philippines has the potential to make it big in the national market. However, the lack of funding hinders them to reach their highest potential.

"UT WHY ARE PEOPLE RELUCTANT TO TRY kNTECH products and services? Finance is synonymous to money and we are taught that we should only let trustworthy people handle our money. Technology, on the other hand, can be bold, innovative and ever-changing.

SME FIRST CIRCLE

CHRISTIAN ADRIAN SIOSON

ÂłSME B2

What’s inside FASTER RELEASE OF SIDA FUNDS SOUGHT

ÂťBusinessB2

DOE TO PURSUE POWER CO-OP REVIEW

ÂťBusinessB2

POWER LIFTS AEV’S 2018 NET INCOME TO P22.2B

ÂťCorporate NewsB3

CHINA IMPORTS, EXPORTS FALL MORE THAN EXPECTED Foreign BusinessB4

Âť

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

Faster release of SIDA funds sought T

BY EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

HE 3UGAR 2EGULATORY !DMINISTRATION 32! WILL PUSH FOR THE AMENDMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS )22 OF THE FOUR YEAR OLD 3UGAR )NDUSTRY $EVELOPMENT !CT 3)$! TO FACILITATE FASTER FUND RELEASES TO farmers.

The IRR has several “bureaucratic� provisions which hamper farmer’s productivity, SRA Board Member — Planters Representative Emiliano Bernardino Yulo said in an interview on Thursday.

Yulo said funds from the SIDA were not being utilized properly

because some government agencies were imposing “stringent� requirements farmers need to comply with to get the muchneeded support.

The SIDA allocates P2 billion as subsidy to the sugar industry ever year. It goes to infrastructure (P1 billion), facilities programs

(P300 million), credit (P300 million), creation of block farms of LAND REFORM BENEkCIARIES 0 million) and scholarships (P100 million).

7HILE THE BUDGET EARMARKED FOR the construction of farm-to-mill roads and education of farmers had high implementation rate of 50 percent and 96 percent, respectively, funds meant for credit and research have not been totally availed of by local sugar farmers last year, Yulo said. “The problem with the socialized credit program‌ is that the requirements are bureaucratic. 9OU EXPECT SO MUCH FROM ;A FARMER= TO FULkLL THESE REQUIREments that the program is actually

bound to fail,� Yulo said.

He said the requirements for the SIDA’s credit program were imposed by the Landbank.

The second big problem is the RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXTENsion which involves bidding out farm tractors, Yulo said, adding that recipients are too afraid on the provision of the Commission on Audit (COA). g7E HAVE A HARD TIME CONVINCing them to receive these farm equipment because of stringent COA requirements,� Yulo said.

The government should streamline procedures so that loan applications of small farmers, to whom the program is intended, can be acted on swiftly, Yulo suggested.

“It would have been better if we download the socialized credit program to the planters association and have them guarantee it rather than course it through the ,ANDBANK 7ITH RESPECT TO THE equipment, they [could] just come to maybe a bond so that we can have faster downloading of equipment,� he said.

9ULO ALSO CLARIkED THAT AMENDing the SIDA would not be necessary to address these concerns. “No need to amend the law, just the IRR,� he said. g7E MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT the spirit of the law is to help our our ordinary farm producers. So I think we need to shift the focus, not so much on the bureaucratic

requirements, but rather on what is the eventual result which the program would like to achieve,�

Yulo said.

Passed in 2015, the SIDA provides government support for the MAXIMIZATION OF THE 0HILIPPINE sugarcane resources. It also aims to increase the competitiveness of the sugarcane industry and improve the incomes of farmers and farm workers through improved PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCT DIVERSIkCAtion job generation and increased EFkCIENCY OF SUGAR MILLS At least 28 provinces in the country rely on the sugar industry for their livelihood, contributing about P96 billion to the country’s GDP.

Managing stock Design DoE to pursue power co-op review market misconception contest “T launched MONEY TALKS MARVIN

by PSALM GERMO THE Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) is launching a contest, open to local and inTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURAL kRMS

to come up with the best and MOST ENERGY EFkCIENT CONCEPTUAL designs that may be the basis for the master planning and design development of a property in Diliman.

The 5.1-hectare lot is located in Quezon City’s Central Business District. “Due to its strategic location and on-going high-rise development in adjacent properties, it is considered a prime property with high potential for residenTIAL COMMERCIAL AND MIXED USE development,�PSALM said.

A pre-contest conference to DISCUSS THE PROPERTY AND EXPLAIN the terms of reference of the contest will be held on March 14, 2019, 2 pm at PSALM’s Quezon #ITY OFkCE Officials will also entertain QUESTIONS AND CLARIkCATIONS AND ALL INTERESTED ARCHITECTURAL kRMS are encouraged to attend.

The deadline for submission OF EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST AND first stage requirements is on March 22, 2019 at 4 pm and MUST BE SENT TO THE /FkCE OF THE 0RESIDENT AND #HIEF %XECUTIVE Office, PSALM Corporation, 24th Flr., Vertis North Corporate #ENTER !STRA COR ,UX $RIVES

North Ave., Quezon City 1105, or through email at avdd1@psalm. gov.ph.

PSALM said interested participants may also visit the PSALM website at www.psalm.gov.ph to view the competition timeline, mechanics, design parameters and to download information related to this competition.

ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

Q ZONING FROM B1

MICC urged to focus on sharing schemes and mechanisms shall have taken effect.� “Considering the continuing issues and concerns on the identification of these areas, particularly the delineation of Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones, the DENR and other concerned member-agencies were tasked TO FORM A 4ECHNICAL 7ORKING Group that will identify a pilot area for the implementation of the updated no-go zones,� the Finance department said.

The DENR was also asked to check whether changes to implementing rules and regulations would resolve issues concerning the go-no go zones.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLOÂ

DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi reiterated his hard stance on assessing the performance of electric cooperatives nationwide to protect the welfare of consumers.

In a statement on Thursday, Cusi emphasized an “unwavering resolve� to look into the issues plaguing ECs and create the appropriate long-term solutions that would allow them to deliver the best services to customers. “We have to do the right thing for our country at all times. We cannot turn a blind eye to the pressing need for improved access and quality electricity services in some parts of the Philippines,� he added.

Last month, the DoE said power co-ops nationwide would undergo performance reviews in line with the government’s goal of achieving total electrification by 2020. Those failing the audit will likely be stripped of their franchises. “The review will be an

inclusive process,� Cusi said. “We will ask the ECs to identify their main challenges and work with them in determining long-term and sustainable solutions. For transparency purposes, the results of the review will be made available to the public.�

Based on its initial assessment, the DoE identified eight ailing ECs: Basilan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Baselco); Sulu Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Suleco); Tawi-Tawi Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Tawelco); Ticao Island Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Tiselco); Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Magelco); Abra Electric Cooperative (Abreco); Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Lasureco); and Masbate Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Maselco).

Earlier this week, Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said results of the performance review will be revealed within the first half of the year. A detailed reporte would be submitted to Cusi, he added.

Cusi said the cooperation and inputs of power co-ops are vital to the successful resolution of the deep-seated problems besetting cooperatives for many years.

Meanwhile, Cusi declined an invitation from power coops for talks. “We’re [a] government institution and this office is always open to all. There [is] no need of scheduling a dialogue.�

He is referring to the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc.’s (Philreca) invitation for an “open and productive discussion� on March 19 at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City.

Although he did not receive a formal communication from Philreca requesting for discussions, Cusi expressed his willingness to lend a hand to troubled power co-ops. “We will continue to be firm in evaluating the performance not just by the cooperatives... but by all industry players,� he said.

JORDEENE B. LAGARE

Q SME FROM B1

due to lack of funding. Access to funds is readily available for good businesses in the Philippines and it only takes a couple of clicks away to take advantage of this opportunity.

People should keep an open mind and should not be intimidated by THE FACT THAT kNTECH IS A SOPHISTICATED way to manage funds. Fintech companies now are taking initiatives to be more customer centric by making sure that ‘customer support’ is provided to all customers. Financial technology can be easily taught to all people coming from different backgrounds and age groups.

The only way to enrich a person’s KNOWLEDGE ABOUT kNANCIAL TECHNOLOGY IS BY TRYING AND EXPERIENCING the product or service themselves.

Once a business owner tried the PROCESS AND REAPED THE BENEkTS OF GETTING BUSINESS kNANCING THROUGH kNANCIAL TECHNOLOGY HE CAN WEIGH his options every time he makes a major business decision.

7ITH THE EXISTENCE OF DIFFERENT communication channels such as telephone, mobile, social media and live chat, people can get free INFORMATION ABOUT kNANCIAL TECHnology by simply asking a question to customer support. Customer support is not only limited to resolve

CUSTOMER ISSUES AND QUERIES 7ITH A lot of technological advances today, it is hard to keep up with the latest innovation. One of customer support’s major function is to enrich people’s knowledge and to raise technological awareness. Just like any other financial institutions, kNTECH COMPANIES PUT HIGH VALUE in customer satisfaction. Customers always choose the product or service that gives them the most seamless EXPERIENCE )N RETURN kNTECH COMpanies always put the users’ needs AND WANTS kRST FOR EVERY PRODUCT AND process update. Fintech companies, unlike banks, never closes. One can apply anytime and anywhere without the hassle of showing up in a meeting while bringing stack of documents. Fintech companies are more customer-centric than any OTHER kNANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Christian Sioson is an alumnus from De La Salle University. He is currently working as a customer ADVOCATE IN &IRST #IRCLE A kNANCIAL technology company that supports businesses in the Philippines by providing short-term financing.

He believes that technology is a great platform to empower SMEs across the globe.

In cities with good public transPORTATION AND EXCELLENT SAFETY REcords, driver compensation has no link to revenue collected or the number of passengers. Instead, linked to ridership.� This is be- drivers are rewarded for parameters cause DOTr is very much aware LIKE FUEL EFkCIENCY TIMELINESS SAFETY that rules which reward PUV driv- (number of months without a road ERS FOR MAXIMIZING REVENUE AND crash), passenger satisfaction, etc. ridership create safety hazard for In contrast, in countries where every one on the road and more bus drivers compete on the road TRAFkC CONGESTION FROM BAD DRIVING for passengers, road safety is poor behavior. and many people are killed in road It may not have been the inten- crashes of public utility vehicles.

TION OF .70# TO INlUENCE TRANSSome in the bus industry may portation policy, but the effect of argue that removing incentives THE NEW .70# GUIDELINES IS TO for ridership will reduce the takeundermine the reforms the DOTr home pay of drivers. Of course, has been trying very hard to set IT WILL DEPEND ON WHAT THE gkXED in place. salary� compensation package

LOOKS LIKE 4HE kXED PAY OF DRIVers should be higher than the minimum wage, given the need TO ATTRACT QUALIkED PERSONNEL TO this kind of work. In the airline industry, the highest paid personnel are the pilots. Bus drivers are entrusted with the lives of 50-80 passengers on each bus and should be paid commensurately.

There are many bus companies that have successfully adopted compensation systems that are performance-based, BUT EXCLUDE ANY relationship to ridership or revenue. !LL DRIVERS OF "'# BUSES EARN kXED SALARY AND BENEkTS WITH BONUSES linked to having an incident-free or crash-free record. P2P bus operators have also been applying driver

Fintech 7HEN THE TWO ARE COMBINED OUR initial thought is that it would clash when in fact these two concepts complement each other. One of the misconceptions about technology is that it takes away human interaction. Technology does not take away human interaction; it improves makes our interaction to one another. People are hesitating TO TRY TO GET FUNDING FROM kNTECH companies fearing that they are EXPOSING THEMSELVES TO HIGHER risk. People would always opt to transact with people they see personally and would choose the more conservative approach over the innovative one. It is saddening to see that a lot of business owners are missing out on the opportunity to get fast and hassle-free funding at a competitive price-point. /NE OF THE PURPOSES OF kNTECH companies is to provide a gratifying CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE )MAGINE THIS

BUSINESSES CAN GET FUNDING IN kVE business days for a project that takes DAYS TO FULkLL 4HIS ENABLES BUSInesses to avoid opportunity losses

Q MOBILITY FROM B1

Ending

HE stock market is too risky; investing in stocks is gambling; investing in stocks is only for analysts, economists, and accountants; I don’t have time to watch my stocks everyday; that’s only for the rich and those that have large amounts of money.� )N MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN the financial industry doing PERSONAL kNANCIAL PLANNING AND personal investing, these are the most frequent comments I get from my private clients or people who attend my talks.

The market has been regarded for years as for the gambler, the risk taker, the rich or the smart.

This notion has actually prevented people from investing in the stock market. This has led to the majority of our population placing their investable money in bank savings and time deposits.

There is nothing wrong with investors putting their hard earned money in banks. However, if they put everything in BANKS THEY LOSE OUT IN INlATION and also miss out on the chance to make their hard earned money work hard for them.

I am certain that right believing causes right doing. People can only invest if they study and believe right. The more Filipinos that study about investing the wiser money decisions they make. This is because we can never go beyond what we know is real to us. Unless the above misconceptions are dealt with, we won’t be able to see more people invest in the stock market.

That is one of the reasons WHY ) WROTE MY kRST BOOK 3TOCK Smarts: Stock Investing Made Easy. The heart of the book is to educate more Filipinos that the stock market is now more than ever available for them.

I really believe that it is time for more Filipinos to know that: r 7HEN THEY KNOW AND STUDY what they are getting into, the risk of investing in the stock market becomes lesser. • That as an investor, when you invest in the stock market, you are actually investing and being a part owner of the biggest corporations in the country. r 4HE 0HILIPPINE 3TOCK %Xchange over the years has less-

compensation schemes that have no relation to the number of passengers carried. Their drivers appreciate THEIR RELIABLE PAY ACCESS TO BENEkTS

less stress and reduced working hours in a day.

Driver performance is assessed using various forms of information technology: closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras and geographic positioning system (GPS) vehicle tracking devices are used to monitor driving behavior and detect incidents of over-speeding; “mystery riders� can rate the quality of the ride and the courtesy or attentiveness of the driver; random surveys of passengers provide additional feedback.

7HAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS /NE

ened the minimum amount needed to be able to buy a stock. Investors may even buy minimum shares of stock for less than P1,000. • It’s also not true that you have to watch your stock every minute of the day to earn in the market. If you know what stock you are getting into, you can comfortably sit and just watch it grow over time. • The Philippines is a great place to invest in. Over the PAST kVE YEARS WE HAVE SEEN OUR stock market go up by leaps and bounds. Some stocks move up and even double its share price! • You don’t have to be an analyst to see that our economy is growing strong, that our gross domestic product (GDP) for the past years has been in a steady pace up while other countries in the world and even Asia are slowing down. The Philippines is strong and continues to move forward. I have seen a lot of normal employees and business people learn how to earn in the stock market. If they can do it, so can you!

Our country is moving up more than ever. The whole world is starting to notice it and we should too. I believe if we shift our mindset from consumers to investors and start spending time to know how amazing and wide open the possibilities are in the stock market, we would see more &ILIPINOS kNANCIALLY FREE It’s time to break free and go beyond the misconceptions that have hindered us to invest for years. I really believe this is our time, this is our moment, it’s time to be stock smart!

Marvin Germo is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP PhilipPINES 4O LEARN ABOUT kNANCIAL planning and how to become RFP, attend our FREE personal kNANCE TALK ON -ARCH PM PSE Ortigas. To reserve, please EMAIL TO INFO RFP PH OR TEXT <name><email><RFPinfo> at 0917-9689774.

course of action will be for the .70# TO AMEND AND RE ISSUE THE GUIDELINES AFTER EXCLUDING INCENTIVES related to ridership or revenue. This WOULD ENABLE THE .70# TO ALIGN ITS guidelines with the driver compensation policies of DOTr and with global best practices. Leaving the .70# GUIDELINES AS THEY ARE WOULD be to preserve the ills of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;boundaryâ&#x20AC;? system, including the unsafe and unsound on-street competition for passengers.

Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate.

He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter @RobertRsiy

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

DMCI Holdings profit down 2% to P14.5B DMCI Holdings Inc. saw its consolidated net income dip by 2 percent to P14.5 billion in 2018 from P14.8 billion the year before, AND REMAIN lAT AT 0 BILLION IN THE fourth quarter alone.

At a news briefing in Makati City on Thursday night, DMCI Holdings Vice President and Senior Finance Officer Brian Lim SAID THE ANNUAL PROkT WAS DRAGGED down by lower contributions from subsidiary Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC), which offset the strong performance of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s property, construction, off-grid power, mining and water businesses.

Excluding non-recurring income of P38 million last year and a one-time loss of P281 million in 2017, the listed conglomerateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core net income slipped by 4 percent year-on-year to P14.5 billion from P15 billion.

Consolidated revenues, meanwhile, rose by 3 percent to P83 billion in 2018 from P81 billion in 2017.

On a full-year basis, net-income contributions from SMPC fell by 14 percent to P6.8 billion from P8 billion, due to a 12-percent decline in coal sales and the nearly eight-month shutdown of unit Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. (Unit 1).

Core income attributable to the PARENT kRM DECLINED BY PERCENT to P7.4 billion from P8.1 billion, excluding non-recurring items.

DMCI Homes saw a 9-percent jump in its net income to P3.9 billion from P3.6 billion on the back of a 3-percent growth in revenues and a one-time gain of P715 million from a land sale.

Excluding the latter, the property developerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core net income slid by 11 percent on account of the higher cost of materials and impact of adoption of a new accounting standard, particularly on recording brokerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commission, which increased the cost of sales.

Net-income contributions from core business D.M. Consunji Inc. increased by 16 percent from P1 billion to P1.2 billion due to a 12-percent increase in revenue and the recognition of variation orders from projects nearing completion.

DMCI Power Corp. saw its net earnings surge by 30 percent from P359 million to P465 million, which was credited to a 25-percent increase in energy sales volume. $-#) -INING #ORP PROkT ALSO rose by 4 percent from P113 million to P117 million, thanks to a 22-percent rise in the shipment volume of higher-grade nickel. !FkLIATE -AYNILAD 7ATER 3ERVICES Inc. posted a 7-percent growth in NET PROkT TO 0 BILLION FROM 0 billion, following a 3-percent increase in billed volume, boosted

BY AN INlATION RATE ADJUSTMENT OF 2.8 percent in January 2018 and a 2.7 percent basic charge increase last October.

Excluding non-recurring items, Mayniladâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core income increased by 4 percent to P1.84 billion from P1.77 billion.

DMCI Holdings and other investments surged by 200 percent to P237 million from P79 million due to higher interest income.

Shares of DMCI dropped by 4 CENTAVOS OR PERCENT TO kNISH at P11.56 apiece on Friday.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Del Monte swings to profit in 9 mths DUAL-listed Del Monte Pacific Ltd. swung to a net income of $14 million in the nine months ending January 2019 from a net loss of $40.4 million in the same period the year before. )N A kLING ON &RIDAY THE CANNED food producer said it sales dropped by 10 percent to $1.5 billion. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (ebitda), it added, grew by 10 percent to $104.9 million.

For the third quarter alone, Del -ONTE 0ACIkC S NET PROkT HIT million, reversing the net loss of $38.4 million it posted in the same period a year earlier.

Ebitda in November to January rose by 13 percent to $39.7 million from $35.1 million year-onyear. Without the one-off expenses related to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plant closures in the United States, these earnings would have been $40.6 million, compared with $46.4 million the year before.

The divestment of its Sager Creek vegetable business, coupled with lower sales in the US and reduced exports of processed pineapple products, weighed on

Del Monteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third-quarter sales, which fell by 12 percent to $528.7 million. Excluding the Sager Creek sale, sales would have dropped by only 6 percent.

Del Monte Foods Inc. contributed 73 percent or $386.2 million of the total sales, a 15-percent slide from the amount posted in the third quarter of 2017.

Del Monte Foods e-commerce sales in the US grew by double digits, driven by retailersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expansion of their click-and-collect/in-store pick-up platforms, increase in Amazon sales, marketing investment across strategic accounts, and the unitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adult fruit cup innovation.

Philippine sales, meanwhile, declined by 6 percent in peso terms and 10 percent in dollar terms, mainly in the general trade and mixed fruit category.

Sales from its brand S&W rose by 19 percent in the third quarter, due to solid sales of fresh pineapple in North Asia, offsetting the decline in packaged products. $EL -ONTE 0ACIkC SHARES ADDED 7 centavos or 1.17 percent to end at P6.07 each on Friday.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Q INVEST FROM B1

Dutch shipbuilder â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a market ourselves, the country is also in need of smaller vessels like the roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ships,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Trade Undersecretary Ceferino 2ODOLFO SAID $AMEN OFkCIALS HAD surveyed the Hanjin facility and WERE STUDYING HOW IT COULD kT INTO companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans.

The Dutch company currently has a partnership with local shipBUILDING kRM 0ROPMECH 'LOBAL Technologies and has a contract with the Philippine Airlines, the Trade department said.

Board of Investments Governor Napoleon Concepcion also presented shipbuilding opportunities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Damen focuses on smaller vessels such as yachts, frigates and freighters, the Trade department noted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This puts them in a good position because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not affected

by the overcapacity in the cargo ship market that caused Hanjin to scale down their operations,â&#x20AC;? it added.

Hanjin, which reportedly owes P412 million to five major Philippine banks in addition to a $900-million obligation to creditors in South Korea, has also attracted the interest of Chinese firms.

A deal with Damen could allay national security concerns focused on Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s increasing investments in the Philippines.

Lopez has said that any company, local or foreign, could take over Hanjin but expressed a preference for a overseas buyer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[R]egardless sino yan (whoever it is), maganda nga kung (it would be better if) foreign din because it shows confidence in our economy,â&#x20AC;? he said last month.

TYRONE C. PIAD

Corporate News Power lifts AEVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2018 net income to P22.2B A SATURDAY March 9, 2019

BY JORDEENE B. LAGARE

BOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV) reported on Friday that its consolidated net income rose to P22.2 billion last year, despite its FOURTH QUARTER PROkT FALLING TO 0 BILLION In a disclosure, the listed holding company of the Aboitiz group SAID THE ANNUAL kGURE WAS A PERcent increase from P21.6 billion in 2017 and the October-to-December amount a 14-percent decrease from P5.7 billion in the same period the year before.

Its power arm contributed the most to AEVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total earnings at 73 PERCENT kNANCIAL SERVICES UNIT

percent; and food, real estate and infrastructure subsidiaries, 7 percent, 3 percent and 1 percent, respectively. g7E REMAIN CONkDENT ABOUT THE long-term prospects of our businesses in fueling our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic

growth, which, in return, generates greater demand for our products and services,â&#x20AC;? AEV President and Chief Executive Officer Erramon Aboitiz said in the statement.

AboitizPower Corp. boosted AEVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bottom line by 6 percent year-on-year to P16.7 billion from P15.7 billion. Its net income climbed by 6 percent to P21.7 billion from P20.4 billion.

Fresh contributions from Pagbilao Energy Corp. and Hedcor Bukidnon Inc., as well as a surge in power-consumption levels across all customer segments, added to THE YEAR ON YEAR PROkT GAIN

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were able to sustain our growth with the entry of new capacities from our baseload power plant in Pagbilao [town, Quezon province], as well as our hydro plant in Manolo Fortich [town], Bukidnon [province], and our efforts to continuously improve the availability and reliability of our generation assets,â&#x20AC;? AboitizPower Chief Operating Officer Emmanuel Rubio said.

Union Bank of the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; income contribution slid by 13 percent to P3.6 billion last year from P4.1 billion in 2017, mirroring its annual net incomeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 13-percent slide to P7.3 billion from P8.4 billion.

Non-listed food units Pilmico Foods Corp., Pilmico International Pte. Ltd., Gold Coin Management Holdings Ltd., Pilmico Animal Nutrition-Joint Stock Co. and Vietnam Feeds booked a net

B3

income of P1.6 billion, down 8 percent from P1.7 billion.

Subsidiary AEV International Pte. Ltd., which directly owns Pilmico International Pte. Ltd. and its units, saw its consolidated net income soar by 142 percent to P234 million.

AboitizLand Inc. and its subsidiariesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; consolidated net income dipped by 13 percent to P645 million from P744 million.

Republic Cement and Building Materials Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s income contribution declined by 68 percent to P213 million from P671 million.

AEVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total core net income hit P23.1 billion in 2018, down 3 percent from P23.9 billion the year before. Consolidated earning before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization climbed by 6.5 percent to P60.7 billion.

Shares of AEV added 15 centavos or 0.26 percent to close at P58.80 apiece on Friday.

Marubeni, DMCI unit win $62-M LRT 2 contract JAPANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Marubeni Corp. and local construction company D.M. Consunji Inc. have bagged a $62-million electrical and mechanical (E&M) contract for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 2 East Extension project.

In a disclosure on Friday, D.M. Consunji parent DMCI Holdings Inc. said that under the contract, Marubeni would handle the administration and procurement of the E&M railways systems, while D.M. Consunji would focus on the track-work procurement, and construction and installation of these systems.

The project involves the DMCI subsidiary extending the LRT 2 line by 4 kilometers, and building two more stations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Emerald and Masinag â&#x20AC;&#x201D; on it.

4HE kRST WOULD RISE IN FRONT OF Robinsons Metro East and Sta. Lucia malls in Cainta town, Rizal province; the second, before the Masinag junction in Antipolo City.

The LRT 2 line currently measures 13.8 km, has 11 stations, and runs from Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila to Santolan town in Pasig City.

The extension project â&#x20AC;&#x153;is one part of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Capacity Enhancement of Mass Transit Systems in Metro -ANILA WHICH HAS BEEN kNANCED

Q This October 2018 photo shows the Light Rail Transit 2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emerald station under construction on Marcos Highway.

PHOTO FROM THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT AUTHORITY-LRT2 FACEBOOK PAGE with 43.2-billion-yen of Japanese governmental yen-credit,â&#x20AC;? DMCI said, adding that it would â&#x20AC;&#x153;contribute to [the] reduction of both TRAFkC CONGESTION AND AIR POLLUtionâ&#x20AC;Śin Metro Manila.â&#x20AC;?

The Department of Transportation had said about â&#x20AC;&#x153;80,000 pasSENGERS WOULD BENEkT FROM THE additional stations.â&#x20AC;?

The existing line accommodates 240,000 commuters daily,

Atlas Mining loss narrows to P1.72B ATLAS Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. reported on Friday a lower consolidated net loss of P1.72 billion last year, despite its revenues rising to P14.21 billion on the back of higher production and shipment volumes.

In a disclosure, the listed mining company said the revenue growth â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a 19-percent increase from 2017â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s P11.96 billion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; was mainly driven by the increase in shipment volume and by favorable metal prices.

Copper metal production improved by 10 percent to 85.83 million pounds from 78.19 million pounds, while gold production grew by 23 percent to 27,013 ounces in 2018 from 21,979 oz the year before.

The commodities market continued to be stable, with the average realized copper and

gold prices higher by 6 percent to $3.00/lb from $2.70/lb and by 1 percent to $1,278/oz. from $1,257/oz, respectively.

Subsidiary Carmen Copper Corp.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s milling tonnage jumped by 14 percent to 16.26 million tons of ore milled from 14.24 million tons.

With sustained production, the amount of copper concentrate shipped grew by 14 percent to 147,400 tons from 129,700 tons in 2017, with copper and gold content increasing by 12 percent to 84.46 million pounds and by 31 percent to 24,988 oz, respectively.

Due to the higher volume of shipments, cash costs jumped by 20 percent to P10.44 billion from P8.15 billion year-on-year. Operating costs also increased due to higher energy prices; higher waste charged to operations; and

Q OFFERS FROM B1

Soundings to precede of 1993. Among others, it restored the central bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s authority to issue NEGOTIABLE CERTIkCATES OF INDEBTEDness even during normal times.

Prior to the amendment, debt offerings were only allowed during cases of extraordinary price movements.

Based on the amended BSP charter, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Monetary Board shall determine the interest rates, maturities and other char-

acteristics of said obligations of the Bangko Sentral, and may, if it deems it advisable, denominate the obligations in gold or foreign currencies.â&#x20AC;?

Guinigundo said the consultations would only be made after RA 11211â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) are issued. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once we get the details on [the] )22 WE WILL kRST ROLL THIS OUT TO THE Monetary Board to allow us to do

a higher mine-product excise tax rate, which doubled from 2 percent to 4 percent in 2018.

The company said these factors caused the average cost per pound to increase by 7 percent to $1.86/lb from $1.75/lb.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization reached P3.85 billion, a 1-percent increase from P3.81 billion in 2017 as gains from higher revenues were offset by higher input costs.

Atlas Mining is into metallic mineral exploration and mining.

It operates the Toledo copper mine in Cebu province and the nickel laterite mining project of Berong Nickel Corp. in Palawan province.

Shares of Atlas Mining shed 1 CENTAVO OR PERCENT TO kNISH at P2.92 apiece on Friday.

EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ this market sounding exercises, to consult with our stakeholders,â&#x20AC;? he said.

BSP offerings will not compete with the national governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debt issuance, Guinigundo stressed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Far from it. We know, we recognize, that the issuance of the central bank bills or bonds should not compete with the Treasury,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So even in case there is a need, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say, to issue long-dated securities, it should be one-off.â&#x20AC;?

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

it added.

Once the extension is completed, travel time from Recto to Masinag would be less than 40 minutes, according to the department.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

Q PLUNGE FROM B1

Slowdown The European Central Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision on Thursday to slash its growth and inflation forecasts added to increased pessimism.

Wall Street tumbled overnight on the ECB news with the Nasdaq down the most by 1.13 percent, followed by S&P 500 (0.81 percent) and the Dow (0.78 percent).

European markets also fell overnight and the losses extended to Asia on Friday, with Shanghai registering the steepest drop of 4.40 percent.

Hong Kong was off 1.9 percent and Tokyo ended two percent lower with BETTER THAN THOUGHT GROWTH kGURES unable to help the Nikkei 225.

Sydney sank one percent and Singapore 0.9 percent, with Seoul 1.3 percent off and Taipei 0.7 percent down.

In early Friday trade, London, Paris and Frankfurt each fell 0.7 percent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need some material good news to come out before we go back to the PSEiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s year-to-date highs around 8,100 to 8,200. Until something materializes, we advise investors to remain cautious,â&#x20AC;?

Cabangon said.

Back in Manila, all sectoral RESULTS kNISHED IN THE RED WITH HOLDING kRMS DOWN THE MOST BY 1.41 percent.

More than 1.09 billion shares valued at P5.3 billion were traded.

Losers led winners, 111 to 48, while 48 issues remained unchanged.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS WITH A REPORT FROM AFP

Foreign Business Asian markets plunge China imports, exports on global outlook fears fall more than expected B B4

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

EIJING: Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exports and imports plummeted much more than expected in February, ofkCIAL DATA SHOWED &RIDAY ADDING TO WORRIES ABOUT SLOWING GROWTH IN THE WORLD S NUMBER TWO ECONOMY AS IT kGHTS A TRADE WAR WITH the US. Its politically sensitive trade surplus with the US narrowed to $14.7 billion for the month from $27.3 billion in January, the data from Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customs administration showed.

Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total overseas shipments sank 20.7 percent on-year and imports fell 5.2 percent, much worse than the 5.0 percent and 0.6 percent drops forecast in a Bloomberg News poll. g4ODAY S TRADE kGURES REINFORCE our view that Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trade recession has started to emerge,â&#x20AC;? said Raymond Yeung of ANZ bank in a note. g,OOKING AHEAD WE kND LITTLE reason to expect a rebound in the near term on the back of a sluggish global electronics cycle,â&#x20AC;? said Yeung, adding it would weigh on #HINA S kRST QUARTER '$0 GROWTH Recent economic data point to THE DIFkCULTIES #HINA FACES WITH growth in the last three months of 2018 clocking in at 6.4 percent.

In January, an important barometer of prices in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industrial sector neared contraction territory while manufacturing activity saw its worst performance in three years in February.

Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier on Tuesday laid out a lower growth target of 6.0 to 6.5 percent this year in a report to the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual

QÂ This file picture taken on Jan. 14, 2019 shows workers preparing to load pipes onto a ship at the port in Lianyungang, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eastern Jiangsu province. Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exports and imports plummeted much more than expected in February, official data showed on March 8, 2019, adding to worries about slowing growth in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number two economy as it fights a trade war with the US. AFP PHOTO parliamentary session underway in Beijing, down from 6.6 percent growth in 2018.

The government outlined major tax cuts, fee reductions and looser monetary policy to combat the slowdown.

Worries have grown about slowing global growth with the European Central Bank slashing its EUROZONE GROWTH AND INlAtion forecasts on Thursday, citing â&#x20AC;&#x153;uncertaintiesâ&#x20AC;? around geopolitical risks and trade rows.

However, analysts caution it IS DIFkCULT TO COMPARE TRENDS IN Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data at the start of the year due to the Chinese New Year holiday, which came in early February this year and can affect business activity.

Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exports for the first two months fell 4.7 percent, and imports were down 3.1 percent, estimated Yeung of ANZ.

An end to the months-long US-China trade dispute would help Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hurting exporters â&#x20AC;&#x201D; shipments to the US fell about 29 percent last month.

Washington and Beijing last year exchanged punitive tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade but have recently indicated they are close to coming to terms.

Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trade deficit with China hit a record $419.2 billion last year, US data released this week showed. China put its surplus at a lower but still record $323.3 billion.

Exports of soybeans, a crucial crop across vast expanses of the US, fell 18 percent for the year as the tit-for-tat tariffs sent Chinese buyers elsewhere.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday negotiations were making progress, telling reporters at the White House that the talks

were â&#x20AC;&#x153;moving along pretty wellâ&#x20AC;?.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted Friday that the two sides HAD MADE gSIGNIkCANT PROGRESSu recently and blasted hawks in Washington who have advocated a â&#x20AC;&#x153;decouplingâ&#x20AC;? between the two countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; economies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To decouple from China is to decouple from opportunities, decouple from the future, and in a sense, to decouple from the world,â&#x20AC;? Wang said at a news conference in Beijing.

Earlier in the week Commerce Minister Zhong Shan told reporters â&#x20AC;&#x153;there is still lots left to doâ&#x20AC;? in trade negotiations.

In a move that could help the negotiations, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parliament will next week pass a new law regulating foreign investment and barring the forced transfer of techNOLOGY BY FOREIGN kRMS TO #HINESE joint venture partners.

AFP

Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth quarter growth revised up to 0.5% TOKYO: Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy grew faster than initially thought in the October-December quarter, due partly to strong corporate investment, OFkCIAL kGURES SHOWED &RIDAY The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third-biggest economy grew 0.5 percent quarter-on-quarter, UP FROM THE PRELIMINARY kGURE OF PERCENT THE CABINET OFkCE SAID 4HE LATEST kGURE Â&#x2021; AN ANNUALised 1.9 percent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is slightly better THAN MARKET EXPECTATIONS CONkRMing that Japan has bounced back to growth as the negative impact from a series of natural disasters over the summer receded.

Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s household spending in January edged up 2.0 percent, beating a market expectation of a 0.5 percent decline, a separate survey by the internal affairs ministry said.

Housing costs, vehicle and telecommunications-related fees and education costs were among the reasons for the rise in spending, the ministry said, ahead of the START OF A NEW kSCAL YEAR IN !PRIL The Friday data suggest a mild turnaround after eight consecutive quarters of growth ended in January-March last year, interrupting a winning streak not seen since

the heady days of Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;miracleâ&#x20AC;? boom of the 1980s.

However, the cabinet office on Thursday revised down its judgement on the economy as a LEADING BUSINESS CONkDENCE INDEX declined in January for the third straight month.

It assessed the latest index as â&#x20AC;&#x153;signaling a possible turning pointâ&#x20AC;? toward a downturn, the CABINET OFkCE SAID Analysts have also warned that US-led trade wars could be a major risk factor for an economy still struggling to win a long battle

AGAINST DElATION The growth came after a dip following a string of natural disasters last summer, including massive lOODING IN WESTERN REGIONS DUE to torrential rain, a typhoon that inundated a major international airport, and an earthquake in the north that disrupted supply lines.

The temporary closure of the Kansai International Airport led to a fall in tourism and overseas shipments.

For the last year, Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy grew 0.8 percent year-on-year, after a 1.9 percent growth in 2017, THE #ABINET /FkCE SAID AFP

Lawyer sorry for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;taintingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ghosnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fame TOKYO: A lawyer representing exNissan chief Carlos Ghosn on Friday apologized for â&#x20AC;&#x153;taintingâ&#x20AC;? the tycoonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation by suggesting he disguise himself as a workman to leave detention on bail.

Ghosn sparked confusion and some derision by walking out of a Tokyo jail on Wednesday after more than 100 days in custody, sporting a blue construction workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jacket, a light blue cap and a facemask.

Lawyer Takashi Takano said the bizarre get-up was a bid to protect Ghosnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s privacy, and particularly to avoid media tracking him to the residence where he will live while out on bail.

But Takano acknowledged the PLAN BACKkRED WITH THE WORLD S media instead snapping photos AND kLMING VIDEO OF 'HOSN TRANSformed from his previously suave executive image. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The disguise was all planned and carried out by me,â&#x20AC;? Takano wrote in a blog article posted Friday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Due to my amateur plan, the fame he has built over a lifetime was tainted.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I caused tangible and intangible damage to many people. I feel sorry about that,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Q In this file photo taken on March 6, 2019, former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn (C-light blue cap) is escorted as he walks out of the Tokyo Detention House following his release on bail in Tokyo. A lawyer representing ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn on March 8 apologised for â&#x20AC;&#x153;taintingâ&#x20AC;? the tycoonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation by suggesting he disguise himself as a workman to leave detention on bail. Ghosn sparked confusion and some derision by walking out of a Tokyo jail on Wednesday after more than 100 days in custody, sporting a blue construction workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jacket, a light blue cap and a facemask. AFP PHOTO Takano said his only goal had been to prevent the media from locating Ghosnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not only would he not be able to have his life back but also his health would be damaged,â&#x20AC;? if the home was located, Takano said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The life of his family and his neighbours would be threatened.

7E DEkNITELY NEEDED TO AVOID SUCH a situation.â&#x20AC;?

In the event, not only was Ghosn widely filmed and photographed in the bizarre disguise, including as he got into a silver minivan complete with a workmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ladder, but media in helicopters and on motorbikes

tracked the vehicle around Tokyo.

He was initially taken to Takanoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OFkCE BUT WAS LATER ABLE TO LEAVE and the exact location of his Tokyo residence remains unclear.

The day after Ghosnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s release, Japanese media devoted news programmes to dissecting Ghosnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disguise, with some stations even dressing up doubles in similar GARB TO DISCUSS THE OUTkT Ghosnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s release was the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the business world in Japan and beyond since his November 19 arrest.

Ghosn, who faces three charges of financial misconduct, must adhere to strict conditions in addition to the nearly $9 million he paid in bail.

He must stay in a residence in Tokyo designated by the court, with a surveillance camera installed at the door. Footage from the camera must be submitted to the court periodically.

He can only use a computer at HIS LAWYER S OFkCE AND WILL NOT BE able to access the internet.

Takano said Ghosnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bail will be canceled if any of the rules are violated and â&#x20AC;&#x153;he would have to return to the tough life in custody.â&#x20AC;?

AFP

HONG KONG: Asian markets tanked and the euro struggled to recover Friday as the European Central Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deciSION TO SLASH ITS GROWTH AND INlATION forecasts added to increasing pessimism about the global outlook.

The announcement â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and an extension of stimulus â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is the latest warning of a lean road ahead after China unveiled a target for growth that would be its slowest in three decades and as the US Federal Reserve indicated it will hold off any fresh rate hikes this year.

It also threw a spanner in the works for investors in the region â&#x20AC;&#x201D; particularly Shanghai â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who had been chasing a rally fuelled by optimism that China and the United States will hammer out a deal to end their trade war.

Adding to the selling pressure was data showing Chinese exports plunged more than 20 percent last month, while imports were also sharply down â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both missing expectations by some margin.

7HILE THE kGURES WERE SKEWED by the Lunar New Year break, they highlight ongoing troubles in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number-two economy, which is growing at its slowest pace for three decades. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All these different variables are beginning to come together to paint a more dismal outlook for global growth,â&#x20AC;? Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel Nicolaus & Co., told Bloomberg TV. The ECB said interest rates would be stuck around historic lows until the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end at best, with bank boss Mario Draghi warning the eurozone was â&#x20AC;&#x153;coming out of, and maybe we still are in a period of continued weakness and pervasive uncertaintyâ&#x20AC;?.

Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s news sent the euro into a tailspin to hit a near twoyear low against the dollar, while

equity markets across Europe and the US ended in the red.

Those losses continued in Asia, where Shanghai, which has surged about a quarter so far this year, shed 4.4 percent, while Hong Kong was off 1.9 percent and Tokyo ended two percent lower with BETTER THAN THOUGHT GROWTH kGURES unable to help the Nikkei 225.

Sydney sank one percent and Singapore 0.9 percent, with Seoul 1.3 percent off and Taipei 0.7 percent down.

In early trade, London, Paris and Frankfurt each fell 0.7 percent.

Draghi cited â&#x20AC;&#x153;factors... mostly of external source,â&#x20AC;? including â&#x20AC;&#x153;the threat of protectionismâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;geopolitical considerations,â&#x20AC;? and analysts pointed out that the eurozone was in a precarious position. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the eurozone likely the next target for (Donald) Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trade-talk embrace, a slowing economy, a central bank very low on monetary bullets, an inability by MEMBERS TO MOUNT A JOINT kSCAL response and an impending Brexit... it is no surprise that the euro fell out of bed,â&#x20AC;? said OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley.

The single currency was unable to claw back any of Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s losses during early Asian business, and the rush to safe investments by traders kept riskier, higher-yielding units beaten down.

Oil prices were down around one percent as the prospect of a global slowdown weighed on expectations for demand for the black gold.

Focus is now on the release later Friday of US employment data, which will provide a fresh snapshot of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest economy, though expectations TOOK A HIT THIS WEEK WITH kGURES showing moderating private-sector job growth.

AFP

ECB springs into action as forecasts tumble FRANKFURT AM MAIN: Tumbling growth and inflation forecasts for the eurozone prompted the European Central Bank to promise interest rates will stay lower for longer and offer new low-cost loans to banks, chief Mario Draghi said Thursday, while striking a reassuring tone on the blocâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prospects. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re coming out of, and maybe we still are in a period of continued weakness and pervasive uncertainty,â&#x20AC;? Draghi told reporters in Frankfurt, pointing to â&#x20AC;&#x153;factors... mostly of external sourceâ&#x20AC;? that were weighing on the single currency area.

The Italian namechecked â&#x20AC;&#x153;the threat of protectionismâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;geopolitical considerations, also what happens relating to the United Kingdomâ&#x20AC;? as it exits its close trading relationship with the European Union later this month.

Meanwhile a slowdown in emerging markets like China, which earlier this week pared its own growth forecasts, also looms over the eurozone.

That prompted ECB economists to match other international bodies by slashing their growth outlook for 2019 by 0.6 percentage points, to 1.1 percent, and trim the 2020 forecast slightly, to 1.6 percent.

Inflation is now slated to inch up from just 1.2 percent this year to 1.6 percent in 2021 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; well short of the central bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s price stability target of just below 2.0 percent.

The weaker outlook meant that just three months after ending a 2.6-trillioneuro ($2.9 trillion) â&#x20AC;&#x153;quantitative easingâ&#x20AC;?

(QE) stimulus for the 19-nation eurozone in December, the ECB was under pressure to show it still had options to buttress growth.

The end of the massive QE program and rates fixed at historic lows gave the appearance of little room to manoeuver.

In response, Draghi said, the ECB would â&#x20AC;&#x153;try to be proactive rather than reactive,â&#x20AC;? intervening to cushion the economy against potential blows.

Referring to widespread uncertainty â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including on potential positive surprises like a US-China trade truce or an eleventh-hour Brexit deal â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;in a dark room you move with tiny steps, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run, but you do move.â&#x20AC;?

For economist Marcel Fratzscher of Berlin-based think tank DIW, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the ECB sent a surprisingly clear warning signal today.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The eurozone economy is weaken-

ing noticeably and risks are rising. As a result, the ECB is making monetary policy even more expansive.â&#x20AC;?

By 4:25 pm in Frankfurt (1525 GMT) the euro had shed 0.65 percent against the dollar to trade at its lowest level since November.

Draghi took pains to paint a picture of the eurozone economy in less pessimistic terms than many analysts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all still talking about weaker growth... the economy continues to expand, the labour market continues to add jobs, nominal wages continue to grow,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We assess the probabilities of a recession as being very low.â&#x20AC;?

The ECB chief counselled patience when it comes to the eurozoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yearslong gradual expansion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; fuelled by supportive monetary policy from Frankfurt â&#x20AC;&#x201D; finally feeding through into inflation rising toward its target.

Nevertheless, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we maintained the risk assessment as tilted to the downside,â&#x20AC;? he acknowledged. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our measures certainly increase the resilience of the eurozone economy,â&#x20AC;? he said, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;cannotâ&#x20AC;? solve the external dangers hobbling growth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We doubt... that the new measures will be enough to reverse the economic slowdownâ&#x20AC;? agreed Capital Economics analyst Andrew Kenningham.

ING bank economist Carsten Brzeski labelled the big-bang move â&#x20AC;&#x153;a bit of a gamble.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Any next step from here to tackle a severe downswing of the economy would now require unprecedented measures,â&#x20AC;? he noted.

The ECBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s renewal of its so-called TLTRO scheme will allow banks to borrow from the ECB for periods of up to two years once per quarter between September 2019 and March 2021. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These new operations will help to preserve favourable bank lending conditions and the smooth transmission of monetary policy,â&#x20AC;? the ECB said.

Like previous rounds of TLTROs, the programme â&#x20AC;&#x153;will feature built-in incentives for credit conditions to remain favorable.â&#x20AC;?

In the past, those incentives have included negative interest rates for banks showing they were lending more to firms and households â&#x20AC;&#x201D; effectively meaning the ECB would pay them to borrow its cash.

The ECB has loaned banks more than 700 billion euros ($790 billion) in previous TLTRO rounds.

AFP

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TEE UP! (First of two part) WAS invited by Rebecca Tandug Barrios, vice-president for academic affairs of the Northwestern Visayan Colleges in Kalibo, Aklan, to be one of their resource speakers for the Foresight Forum 2019 last week.

The Foresight Forum 2019 is a multi-disciplinary dialogue on the future of media, business and information and environmental literacies towards a sound, just and sustainable society. I was tasked to share my insights on integrating the future business environment into innovation and sustainability as a tool to a sustainable future in the Philippines and global contexts.

The forum, part of the 71st founding anniversary of the college, was attended by over 300 information technology, business and mass communication students, as well as educators, managers and other interested stakeholders in the community.

I divided my presentation INTO kVE PARTS )NTRODUCTION LET S TEE UPĂ&#x153; GLOBAL RISKS LANDSCAPE

climate change as an existential threat, and concluding remarks, to ensure that I will not exceed the allotted time.

My introduction focused on two less-than-two minute trailers.

First is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Human,â&#x20AC;? a 2015 documentary film by French environmentalist Yann ArthusBertrand and was premiered in the United Nations General Assembly Hall with 1,000 viewers, including then United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

It had a special screening in the Philippines in October 2017 as a side event during the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

3ECOND IS g!NTHROPOCENE 4HE Human Epoch,â&#x20AC;? a 2018 Canadian DOCUMENTARY kLM THAT PREMIERED at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, which explores the emerging concept of a geological epoch on the impacts of humanity on the natural environment.

The significant part of my PRESENTATION FOCUSED ON ,ET S TEE UP!.

ALL ABOUT CHOICES

I

Technology Technology plays a pivotal role in consumer decision-making and the ability of manufacturers and retailers to meet the needs OF TODAY S CONSUMER With the current disruptive TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS ARTIkCIAL INtelligence, augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, drones, Internet of Things, robots and 3D printing, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Philippines is experiencing a new industrial revolution with technology as the main driver. In recent years, we have seen how traditional businesses changed their models to adapt to the changing customer behavior, and new technologies,â&#x20AC;? according to the latest PwCManagement Association of the Philippines 2018 CEO Survey titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Future of 0OSSIBILITIES "USINESS IN THE Age of Disruption.â&#x20AC;?

The study also shared the FOLLOWING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ninety-four percent of Philippine CEOs (chief executive officers) believe that disruptive innovations changed their industry over the past 10 years. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sixty-eight percent of Philippine CEOs will change their business models in the next THREE TO kVE YEARS 4HIS CHANGE will come in the form of change how the products and services will be created and delivered to customers (80 percent); change the target market (31 percent); and change from product to service or vice-versa (26 percent). â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Five factors that are driving disruptions across different industries include changes in consumer behavior (72 percent), new kinds of competition (77 percent), shifting regulation (79 percent), new methods of distribution (52 percent), and core technologies of production (67 percent).

LUDWIG O. FEDERIGAN

Green Industries New research center to address ludong decline SATURDAY March 9, 2019

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fifty-one percent of Philippine CEOs believe that lack of kNANCIAL RESOURCES WILL STOP THEM from being disruptive. Other hindrances include regulatory factors (44 percent), lack of human talent (43 percent), existing organizational structure (37 percent), and inadequate technology (32 percent).

Lawyer Alexander Cabrera, chairman of PwC Philippines, exCLAIMED THAT g! RELIABLE BUSINESS model is always updated and that seems to be the resounding messageâ&#x20AC;? and these disruption technologies â&#x20AC;&#x153;have disrupted and affected businesses across different industries globally, and even in our own [Philippine] business environment.â&#x20AC;?

Environment Environment in general and climate change in particular is a global concern. In my column last January 10 titled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Environmental shifts and pressures will shape THE WORLD IN u ) WROTE g%Nvironmental shifts and pressures indicates that competing demands and supply constraints combined with economic, environmental and geopolitical risks, create pressures on environmental resources.

This results in an increasing focus of international agencies, governments, businesses and civil societies on climate change.â&#x20AC;? In fact, the talk on the environment is no lonGER CONkNED TO THE DIRECTION GIVEN by policy makers, there is now a growing social movement commanded by both economic and ethical imperatives, and supported by growing amount of data.

Economy Euromonitor International predicts that emerging and developing countries will account for two-thirds of global economy in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.

Business Insider Singapore, using the Oxford Economics study, REPORTED FEW DAYS AGO THAT g4HE Philippines is set to have the highest increase in its labour force of any of the top 10 which, alongside its GDP growth of 5.3 percent, MEANS IT WILL BE ONE OF THE WORLD S fastest growing economies sooner rather than later,â&#x20AC;? ranking it as the second fastest growing emerging market economy, next only to India, in the next decade. Completing the top ten are Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand, Chile, Poland and South Africa.

Eighty-nine percent of Philippine #%/S ARE CONkDENT OF THEIR ORGANIZATION S REVENUE GROWTH PROSPECTS over the next 12 months and 79 percent believe that the Philippine full-year economic growth in 2018 will be higher than the average growth in Southeast Asia.

Technology, Environmental shifts and pressures, and Economic power are three of the five megatrend drivers that will drive and shape the world in 2030, according to a Euromonitor International study TITLED g-EGATREND !NALYSIS 0UTting the Consumer at the Heart of Business.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Megatrend is a shift in behavior or attitudes that has global impact and crosses industries. It is not a short-term fad; rather it is a trend with longevity, one which represents a fundamental shift in BEHAVIOUR THAT IS DEkNING CONSUMER markets,â&#x20AC;? according to the report.

N N N I shared my insights on the topic â&#x20AC;&#x153;Integrating the Future Environment into Innovation and Sustainabilityâ&#x20AC;? during UST Senior High School STEM Camp on March 7 (Thursday), and on the topic â&#x20AC;&#x153;Diminish Plasticâ&#x20AC;? during the launch of the Hotel Restaurant Management Society Movement for Environmental Sustainability on March 8 (Friday), both at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

R

EAFFIRMING its commitment to protect AND CONSERVE THE COUNTRY S NATIVE kSH THE kSHERIES BUREAU IN #AGAYAN 6ALLEY 2EGION HELD GROUNDBREAKING RITES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 0 MILLION ,UDONG 2ESEARCH AND "REEDING #ENTER ,2"# IN THE COASTAL TOWN OF #LAVERIA IN #AGAYAN PROVINCE Maximo Prudencio, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resouces (BFAR) Cagayan Valley informaTION OFkCER SAID THE ,2"# WOULD be within the Multi High Value Species Hatchery, also a BFAR facility, in Barangay Taggat Norte in Claveria. The inauguration of the LRBC was witnessed by the TOWN S LOCAL OFkCIALS "&!2 #AGYAN 6ALLEY STAFF AND kSHER FOLK last Thursday.

Prudencio said the LRBC project was realized through the assistance of Sen. Loren Legarda, while Isabela First District Rep. Rodito

Albano facilitated the funding.

Felicitas Paraggua, LRBC senior aquaculturist and project-incharge, said the prime researches to be undertaken within the facility would be on benchmark information on ludong (lobed river mullet) like its sexual maturity, fecundity and environmental parameters needed to breed and maintain the species in captivity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There has been a decline of 33 percent in ludong catch from the year 2003 to 2011 as a result OF RAMPANT kSHING DUE TO HIGH market demand and high price,â&#x20AC;?

Paraggua said, adding that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;reCRUITMENT OVERkSHINGu HAD BEEN observed on the species.

2ECRUITMENT OVERkSHING IS A CONdition where there is steep decline both in volume and size of spawning stocks caught year after year.

Severina Bueno, BFAR Cagayan Valley fisheries production chief, said the observations were the very reason the agency 2013 declared a closed-season on ludong harvesting.

The BFAR has banned the catching of ludong during its spawning period to improve its population. Based on the AGENCY S !DMINISTRATIVE #IRCULAR 247, individuals, associations or corporations were prohibited from catching ludong from October 1 to November 15.

The order covers the entire stretch of Cagayan River, including its tributaries, headwaters and watersheds, Abra River and its tributaries extending to Santa River in Ilocos Sur and the Cordillera

B5

Administrative Region.

Experts said ludong goes upstream to spawn before swimming DOWNSTREAM WHERE THE RARE kSH IS caught. They said breeding ludong in captivity was not a success, explains why its price zooms to about P8,000 per kilo, starting in 3EPTEMBER WHEN THE kSH USUALLY materializes in the Cagayan River.

The public has since known ludong as a delectable fish only the rich could afford because of its stiff market price, the reason why it is also called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;PresiDENT S FISH u Venchito Villarao, BFAR CagayAN PROVINCIAL kELD OFkCE CHIEF

said there was also a need to IMPLEMENT kSHERY LAWS TO PREvent further decline in ludong production in the province. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to dismantle illegal kSHING NETS SUCH AS FYKE NETS OR tanggar along the Cagayan River, as these obstruct the migration path of ludong, both mature inDIVIDUALS AND kNGERLINGS u HE SAID

IBSS Manila advances volunteerism ING Business Shared Services (IBSS) Manila partnered recently with conservation group Haribon Foundation to advance the cause of volunteerism for the environment among its employees. !S A (ARIBON AFkLIATE MEMBER

IBSS Manila kicked off a number of environmental activities in 2018 that included an in-house sustainability fair, a Biodiversity On Wheels learning workshop for children, and an eco-bricking and coastal cleanup drive at the Las PiĂąasâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;ParaĂąaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA). â&#x20AC;&#x153;True to the spirit of our mother company, ING Bank, we support our sustainability promise by empowering Filipino employees to make a difference in local communities,â&#x20AC;? said IBSS Manila.

In 2018, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index recognized ING Bank as one of the world leaders in sustainable business practices, scoring 82 points out of 100. The global industry average was at 52 points. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As IBSS Manila grows in the Philippines, these projects provide our colleagues with the opportunity to give back to the communities where we operate, and help foster a deep and authentic sense of responsibility not only to the environment, but to our shared

Q ING Business Shared Services Manila recently partnered with Haribon Foundation to undertake several environmental activities, one of them the coastal cleanup drive at the Las PiĂąasâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;ParaĂąaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area. HARIBON PHOTO future,â&#x20AC;? IBSS Manila Country Manager Cees Ovelgonne said.

Haribon Foundation works in a variety of areas, establishing community-led native tree nurseries, conducting biodiversity research, providing technical guidance in the establishment and effective management of local conservation sites, strengthening marine protected areas, and raising public consciousness in promoting eco-

friendly lifestyles.

IBSS Manila is a shared services center and a wholly-owned subsidIARY OF GLOBAL kNANCIAL INSTITUTION ING, based in the Netherlands. ING Bank operates in over 40 countries worldwide, and has been serving Philippine customers since 1990.

Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources Inc. is a membership organization committed to nature

conservation through commuNITY EMPOWERMENT AND SCIENTIkC excellence. Hatched in 1972, it is the pioneer environmental orgaNIZATION IN THE 0HILIPPINES )T S natural and social scientists work with communities and people from all levels governance to promote biodiversity conservation.

4O BECOME A (ARIBON AFkLIATE member, e-mail membership@ haribon.org.ph or call 421-1209.

SEARCA AIDS MYANMARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FORESTRY INDUSTRY A PROJECT that is expected to produce policy recommendations toward sustainable forest and non-timber forest products is being implemented in Myanmar, according to the Philippine-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca).

Called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Assessment of NonTimber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Mountainous Regions of Myanmar towards Community Forestry Development,â&#x20AC;? Searca said the project was visited by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Working Group on Social Forestry (AWGS-SF) Strategic Response Fund (ASRF) program management team on February 21 to 23.

The project was endorsed by the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation to the ASRF to identify NTFPs in mountainous regions of Myanmar

and develop value chain analysis (VCA) of promising NTFPs. Thaung Naing Oo, AWG-SF leader and FRI director, presented the project accomplishments and remaining activities.

He said the implementation of the project began in February of last year and as of February this year, the project team has conducted two case studies in Than Daung, Kayin State and Putao, Kachin State.

The ASRF program management team was able to identify more than 50 kinds of NTFPs in the project site.

Among these, Thaung said one promising NTFP for each site was selected for VCA that included Cardamom in Than Daung, and Rattan in Putao.

Cardamom is native throughout tropical and sub-tropical Asia and is used as a flavoring and cooking spice. Rattan, on the other

hand, is extensively used for making baskets and furniture.

Searca said the government of Myanmar aims to develop 50 community forestry products â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one community, one product â&#x20AC;&#x201D; by 2020.

It said the result of the study would be presented in a workshop to be attended by relevant stakeholders on community forestry in March, which will provide relevant inputs to the achievement of their NATIONAL GOVERNMENT S GOAL The ASRF program management team said it also collected NTFP specimens in the project sites that would be displayed in a museum that the FRI is currently upgrading.

The management team and Ei Ei Swe Hlaing, AWGS-SF focal point and FRI assistant director, also visited the Than Daung Township to observe the project site and interact with stakeholders.

Ei said that the result of their VCA would provide business information to stakeholders, who were interested in investing in value addition of Cardamom, especially since the technology for processing it was not available in the township.

Saw Chucholl, village chairman, also shared their experience in accessing NTFPs from the forest and specifically provided information on the access and use of Cardamom, and how it is being sold in the market as one of their sources of livelihood.

He said the farm gate price of Cardamom was very low because they were selling it as raw materials to traders.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation provided funds for this project through the Searca-ASRF program.

LEANDER C. DOMINGO

MRC unit breaks ground on 1.1-MW solar facility MRC Allied Inc., through its subsidiary Menlo Renewable Energy Corp. (MREN), broke ground for its 1.1-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop project for a mall in Mindanao.

Based on a memorandum of agreement (MoA) signed last December, MREN will be working for

the development, design, construction and installation of a solar PV rooftop system with a capacity of at least 1.1MW, which is part of the pilot project of its ambitious solar PV program in the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under the MoA, MREN will be the project developer and owner of the solar facility while a private en-

tity, owning and operating the mall, will be the power off-taker,â&#x20AC;? MREN said in a statement on Tuesday.

With a total investment estimated at P67.4 million, the solar power project is intended to be in service for 20 years.

-2# !LLIED S MAIN LINE OF BUSIness is property, but the company has

successfully diversified into other businesses such as renewable energy.

The company is further expanding its solar energy footprint through the development of a 1.1-MW solar PV rooftop project as part of its 200MW target capacity for the next two years.

EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

World Ex-Trump campaign boss gets 47-month sentence A B6

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

LEXANDRIA, Virginia: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for tax and bank fraud related to his work advising Ukrainian politicians, much less than what was called for under sentencing guidelines.

-ANAFORT SITTING IN A WHEELCHAIR AS HE DEALS WITH COMPLICATIONS FROM GOUT HAD NO VISIBLE REACTION AS HE HEARD THE MONTH SENTENCE 7HILE THAT WAS THE LONGEST SENTENCE TO DATE TO COME FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL 2OBERT -UELLER S PROBE IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE FOR -ANAFORT 3ENTENCING GUIDELINES CALLED FOR A YEAR TERM EFFECTIVELY A LIFETIME SENTENCE FOR THE YEAR OLD -ANAFORT HAS BEEN JAILED SINCE *UNE SO HE WILL RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THE NINE MONTHS HE HAS ALREADY SERVED (E STILL FACES THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL TIME FROM HIS SENTENCING IN A SEPARATE CASE IN THE $ISTRICT OF #OLUMBIA WHERE HE PLEADED GUILTY TO CHARGES RELATED TO ILLEGAL LOBBYING "EFORE *UDGE 4 3 %LLIS ))) IMPOSED THE SENTENCE -ANAFORT TOLD HIM THAT gSAYING ) FEEL HUMILIATED AND ASHAMED WOULD BE A GROSS UN-

DERSTATEMENT u "UT HE OFFERED NO EXPLICIT APOLOGY SOMETHING %LLIS NOTED BEFORE ISSUING HIS SENTENCE -ANAFORT STEERED $ONALD 4RUMP S ELECTION EFFORTS DURING CRUCIAL MONTHS OF THE CAMPAIGN AS 2USSIA SOUGHT TO MEDDLE IN THE ELECTION THROUGH HACKING OF $EMOCRATIC EMAIL ACCOUNTS (E WAS AMONG THE FIRST 4RUMP ASSOCIATES CHARGED IN THE -UELLER INVESTIGATION AND HAS BEEN A HIGH PROkLE DEFENDANT "UT THE CHARGES AGAINST -ANAFORT WERE UNRELATED TO HIS WORK ON THE CAMPAIGN OR THE FOCUS OF -UELLER S INVESTIGATION WHETHER THE 4RUMP CAMPAIGN COORDINATED WITH 2USSIANS ! JURY LAST YEAR CONVICTED -ANAFORT ON EIGHT COUNTS CONCLUDING THAT HE HID FROM THE )23 MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HE EARNED FROM HIS WORK IN 5KRAINE -ANAFORT S LAWYERS ARGUED THAT THEIR CLIENT HAD ENGAGED IN WHAT

AMOUNTED TO A ROUTINE TAX EVASION CASE AND CITED NUMEROUS PAST SENTENCES IN WHICH DEFENDANTS HAD HIDDEN MILLIONS FROM THE )23 AND SERVED LESS THAN A YEAR IN PRISON 0ROSECUTORS SAID -ANAFORT S CONDUCT WAS EGREGIOUS BUT %LLIS ULTIMATELY AGREED MORE WITH DEFENSE ATTORNEYS g4HESE GUIDELINES ARE QUITE HIGH u %LLIS SAID .EITHER PROSECUTORS NOR DEFENSE ATTORNEYS HAD REQUESTED A PARTICULAR SENTENCE LENGTH IN THEIR SENTENCING MEMORANDA BUT PROSECUTORS HAD URGED A gSIGNIkCANTu SENTENCE /UTSIDE COURT -ANAFORT S LAWYER +EVIN $OWNING SAID HIS CLIENT ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS CONDUCT gAND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT -R -ANAFORT WAS INVOLVED IN ANY COLLUSION WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF 2USSIA u 0ROSECUTORS LEFT THE COURTHOUSE WITHOUT MAKING ANY COMMENT 4HOUGH -ANAFORT HASN T FACED CHARGES RELATED TO COLLUSION HE HAS BEEN SEEN AS ONE OF THE MOST PIVOTAL kGURES IN THE -UELLER INVESTIGATION 0ROSECUTORS FOR INSTANCE

HAVE SCRUTINIZED HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH +ONSTANTIN +ILIMNIK A BUSINESS ASSOCIATE 53 AUTHORITIES SAY IS TIED TO

2USSIAN INTELLIGENCE AND HAVE DESCRIBED A FURTIVE MEETING THE MEN HAD IN !UGUST AS CUTTING TO THE HEART OF THE INVESTIGATION !FTER PLEADING GUILTY IN THE $ # CASE -ANAFORT MET WITH INVESTIGATORS FOR MORE THAN HOURS AS PART OF A REQUIREMENT TO COOPERATE WITH THE PROBE "UT PROSECUTORS REITERATED AT 4HURSDAY S HEARING THAT THEY BELIEVE -ANAFORT WAS EVASIVE AND UNTRUTHFUL IN HIS TESTIMONY TO A GRAND JURY -ANAFORT WAS WHEELED INTO THE COURTROOM ABOUT P M IN A GREEN JUMPSUIT FROM THE !LEXANDRIA JAIL WHERE HE SPENT THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS IN SOLITARY CONkNEMENT 4HE JET BLACK HAIR HE BORE IN WHEN SERVING AS CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN WAS GONE REPLACED BY A SHAGGY GRAY (E SPENT MUCH OF THE HEARING HUNCHED AT THE SHOULDERS

BEARING WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN AIR OF RESIGNATION $EFENSE LAWYERS HAD ARGUED THAT -ANAFORT WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN CHARGED IF IT WERE NOT FOR -UELLER S PROBE !T THE OUTSET OF THE TRIAL

EVEN %LLIS AGREED WITH THAT ASSESSMENT SUGGESTING THAT -ANAFORT WAS BEING PROSECUTED ONLY TO PRES-

Ë&#x153; h Manila M The Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Q Paul Manafort. AFP FILE PHOTO SURE HIM TO gSINGu AGAINST 4RUMP 0ROSECUTORS SAID THE -ANAFORT INVESTIGATION PRECEDED -UELLER S APPOINTMENT 4HE JURY CONVICTED -ANAFORT ON EIGHT FELONIES RELATED TO TAX AND BANK FRAUD CHARGES FOR HIDING FOREIGN INCOME FROM HIS WORK IN 5KRAINE FROM THE )23 AND LATER INlATING HIS INCOME ON BANK LOAN APPLICATIONS 0ROSECUTORS HAVE SAID THE WORK IN 5KRAINE WAS ON BEHALF OF POLITICIANS WHO WERE CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH 2USSIA

THOUGH -ANAFORT INSISTED HIS WORK HELPED THOSE POLITICIANS DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM 2USSIA AND ALIGN WITH THE 7EST )N ARGUING FOR A SIGNIFICANT SENTENCE PROSECUTOR 'REG !NDRES SAID -ANAFORT STILL HASN T ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS MISCONDUCT g(IS SENTENCING POSITIONS ARE RE-

PLETE WITH BLAMING OTHERS u !NDRES SAID (E ALSO SAID -ANAFORT STILL HAS NOT PROVIDED A FULL ACCOUNT OF HIS kNANCES FOR PURPOSES OF RESTITUTION A PARTICULARLY EGREGIOUS OMISSION GIVEN THAT HIS CRIME INVOLVED HIDING MORE THAN MILLION IN OVERSEAS BANK ACCOUNTS TO EVADE PAYING MORE THAN MILLION IN FEDERAL INCOME TAXES 4HE LACK OF CERTAINTY ABOUT -ANAFORT S kNANCES COMPLICATED THE JUDGE S EFFORTS TO IMPOSE RESTITUTION BUT %LLIS ULTIMATELY ORDERED THAT -ANAFORT COULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY BACK UP TO MILLION )N THE $ # CASE -ANAFORT FACES UP TO kVE YEARS IN PRISON ON EACH OF TWO COUNTS TO WHICH HE PLEADED GUILTY 4HE JUDGE WILL HAVE THE OPTION TO IMPOSE ANY SENTENCE THERE CONCURRENT OR CONSECUTIVE TO THE SENTENCE IMPOSED BY %LLIS AP

US positive on NKorea denuclearization

HORSE POWER

Residents commute along a flooded road in Dayeuhkolot village in Bandung, West Java province on Thursday. Some 6,000 houses have been flooded from the overflowing Citarum river due to heavy rain in the area.AFP PHOTO

French cardinal convicted over sex abuse cover-up LYON: 4HE ARCHBISHOP OF ,YON ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN -ANILA ANNOUNCED HE WAS RESIGNING JUST HOURS AFTER BEING HANDED A SIX MONTH SUSPENDED JAIL SENTENCE FOR FAILING TO REPORT SEX ABUSE IN A CASE THAT HAS ROCKED THE &RENCH #ATHOLIC #HURCH AND ADDED TO THE 6ATICAN S WOES 0HILIPPE "ARBARIN

IS THE MOST SENIOR &RENCH CLERIC CAUGHT UP IN THE GLOBAL PAEDOPHILIA SCANDAL WHICH 0OPE &RANCIS JUST TWO WEEKS AGO VOWED TO kGHT IN AN gALL OUT BATTLE u ! COURT IN ,YON IN SOUTHEASTERN &RANCE RULED THAT "ARBARIN

A CARDINAL SINCE WAS GUILTY OF FAILING TO REPORT ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE OF BOY SCOUTS COMMITTED

BY A PRIEST "ERNARD 0REYNAT IN THE S AND S 4HE PRIEST WHO WAS CHARGED IN

IS EXPECTED FOR HIS PART TO BE TRIED THIS YEAR "ARBARIN WHO WAS NOT PRESENT

FOR THE VERDICT SAID HE gDULY ACKNOWLEDGED THE COURT S DECISIONu

BUT HIS LAWYER SAID IT WOULD BE APPEALED (E IS THE THIRD SENIOR &RENCH CLERIC TO BE FOUND GUILTY OF FAILING TO REPORT SEX ABUSE g) HAVE DECIDED TO GO TO SEE THE (OLY &ATHER TO HAND HIM MY RESIGNATION (E WILL RECEIVE ME IN A FEW DAYS TIME u "ARBARIN TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER THE VERDICT g)NDEPENDENTLY FROM MY OWN FATE ) WISH ONCE AGAIN TO STRESS MY COMPASSION FOR THE VICTIMS u HE SAID

Global movement (IS TRIAL CAME AT A TIME WHEN THE #ATHOLIC #HURCH HAS BEEN HIT BY ABUSE SCANDALS IN COUNTRIES AS FAR AkELD AS !USTRALIA "RAZIL #HILE AND THE 5NITED 3TATES 0OPE &RANCIS HELD A SPECIAL SUM-

MIT ON THE ISSUE AT THE 6ATICAN LAST MONTH DURING WHICH HE COMPARED PAEDOPHILIA TO THE gHUMAN SACRIkCEu OF CHILDREN "ARBARIN AN ARCH CONSERVATIVE WHO TOOK OVER AS ARCHBISHOP IN ,YON IN WAS DUBBED g-R

VOLTSu BY THE PRESS FOR THE DYNAMISM HE DISPLAYED IN HIS CAMPAIGNS FOR PERSECUTED 3YRIAN #HRISTIANS OR AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE "UT HE HAS LONG BEEN ACCUSED BY VICTIMS GROUPS IN ,YON OF TURNING A BLIND EYE TO THE HISTORIC CHILD ABUSE IN HIS DIOCESE WHICH LEFT DOZENS OF LIVES BLIGHTED g) CANNOT SEE WHAT ) AM GUILTY OF u "ARBARIN TOLD THE COURT AT THE START OF THE TRIAL IN *ANUARY g) NEVER TRIED TO HIDE LET ALONE COVER UP THESE HORRIBLE FACTS u )N ITS VERDICT THE COURT FOUND OTHERWISE SAYING THE ARCHBISHOP

gIN ALL CONSCIENCEu CHOSE NOT TO TELL AUTHORITIES OF THE ABUSE AL-

Q French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin.

AFP PHOTO

LEGATIONS gIN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE INSTITUTION TO WHICH HE BELONGS u g"Y WANTING TO AVOID A SCANDAL CAUSED BY A PRIEST S MULTIPLE SEX OFFENCES AND PROBABLY IN SEEKING TO CONFORM TO INADEQUATE DECISIONS TAKEN BY BISHOPS BEFORE HIM

0HILIPPE "ARBARIN PREFERRED TO TAKE THE RISK THAT JUSTICE WOULD BE UNABLE TO UNCOVER A GREAT NUMBER OF VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND PREVENT THEM FROM VOICING THEIR PAIN u THE VERDICT READ AFP

Blackout darkens much of Venezuela CARACAS: Most of Venezuela plunged into darkness on Thursday (Friday in Manila) evening as a blackout served up more misery for people enduring an economic crisis that has fueled a potent challenge to President Nicolas Maduroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rule.

The socialist government quickly blamed the outage affecting 23 of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24 states on what it called sabotage of a major hydroelectric dam.

In Caracas, traffic lights went out and the subway system ground to a halt, triggering gridlock in the streets and huge streams of angry people trekking long distances to get home from work.

The blackout in the capital was total and hit at 4:50 p.m. (2050 GMT), just before nightfall. Caracas is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most crime-ridden cities

so people set out for home early, well before the sun went down.

Commerce was shut down because most transactions are done with debit or credit cards. Hyperinflation has rendered the local currency, the bolivar, almost worthless.

Telephone services and access to the internet were also knocked out. The capitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international airport was hit, according to social media posts from would-be travelers. A Copa Libertadores football game in the city of Barquisimeto was postponed.

As night set in, the nationwide outage dragged on and some people in Caracas banged pots and pansâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a traditional Latin American method of letting off steam.

About seven hours after the mess

started, the lights did come back on in some buildings in eastern Caracas.

Venezuelans are wearily accustomed to blackouts. For years they have been common in the west of the oil-rich country, but have eventually spread to Caracas and other areas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are tired. Exhausted,â&#x20AC;? said Estefania Pacheco, a sales executive forced to walk 12 kilometers (seven miles) from her office in eastern Caracas to her home across town. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is so sad every time this happens,â&#x20AC;? said the mother of two.

Critics blame the government for failing to invest in upkeep of the electrical grid, although the government often blames what it calls sabotage when the lights go out.

This time, Vice President Delcy

Rodriguez alleged that â&#x20AC;&#x153;extremist sectorsâ&#x20AC;? had waged â&#x20AC;&#x153;a large scale attack.â&#x20AC;?

She insisted power was back on in some eastern states.

The state power company Corpoelec said there has been sabotage at a big hydroelectric plant called Guri in Bolivar state. It gave no details. The facility is one of the biggest in Latin America. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of the electric war against the state,â&#x20AC;? the company said on Twitter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow it. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working to re-establish the service.â&#x20AC;?

A year ago, Maduro asked the armed forces to provide security to protect the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hydroelectric facilities but power outages continue.

Maduro tweeted that the blackout was part of a war directed by what he called US imperialism. It will fail, he added. AFP

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The US still beLIEVES THE gFULLY VERIkED DENUCLEARIZATIONu OF .ORTH +OREA IS POSSIBLE

BY THE END OF 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP S gkRST TERM u A SENIOR OFkCIAL SAID ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN -ANILA DESPITE WARNINGS A KEY ROCKET LAUNCH SITE APPEARS TO HAVE RESUMED OPERATIONS 4HE SPECIALIZED WEBSITE .ORTH AND THE #ENTER FOR 3TRATEGIC AND )NTERNATIONAL 3TUDIES USED COMMERCIAL SATELLITE IMAGERY TO TRACK CONSTRUCTION AT THE SITEÂ&#x2021; WHICH THEY SAID BEGAN BEFORE LAST WEEK S ABORTED SUMMIT IN (ANOI BETWEEN 4RUMP AND .ORTH +OREA S +IM *ONG 5N )MAGES TAKEN ON -ARCH SHOWED THAT A RAIL MOUNTED STRUCTURE TO TRANSFER ROCKETS TO THE LAUNCHING PAD APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND gMAY NOW BE OPERATIONAL u #RANES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE PAD WHILE PROGRESS ALSO APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN MADE ON REBUILDING THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR A ROCKET ENGINE TESTING STAND g'IVEN THAT CONSTRUCTION PLUS ACTIVITY AT OTHER AREAS OF THE SITE

3OHAE 3ATELLITE ,AUNCHING 3TATION APPEARS TO HAVE RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATIONAL STATUS u .ORTH S REPORT SAID 4HE NEWS WILL COMPOUND THE 7HITE (OUSE S FRUSTRATION OVER THE LACK OF PROGRESS ON TALKS WITH THE .ORTH FOLLOWING THE COLLAPSE OF A SECOND 4RUMP +IM SUMMIT WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A JOINT STATEMENT

LET ALONE AN AGREEMENT ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT 4HE OFFICIAL CONFIRMED THAT 7ASHINGTON WOULD SEEK FROM 0YONGYANG gCLARIkCATIONS ON THE PURPOSESu OF REBUILDING THE SITE g7E DON T KNOW WHY THEY ARE TAKING THESE STEPS u THE OFFICIAL SAID REQUESTING ANONYMITY +IM HAD AGREED TO SHUTTER 3OHAE AT A SUMMIT WITH THE 3OUTH S 0RESIDENT -OON *AE IN IN 0YONGYANG AS PART OF CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES AND SATELLITE PICTURES IN !UGUST SUGGESTED WORKERS WERE DISMANTLING THE ENGINE TEST STAND 4RUMP EQUIVOCATED WHEN ASKED 4HURSDAY IF HE WAS DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THE NEWS g7E LL SEE u HE SAID g7E LL LET YOU KNOW IN ABOUT A YEAR u 4HE PRESIDENT HAD DECLARED THAT IT WAS gTOO EARLYu TO TELL IF A PREVIOUS REPORT ABOUT ACTIVITY AT THE SITE WAS TRUE BUT SAID HE WOULD BE gVERY VERY DISAPPOINTED IN #HAIRMAN +IMu IF THE INTELLIGENCE CHECKED OUT

53 MEDIA HAD SPECULATED OVER WHETHER 4RUMP MIGHT TIGHTEN THE THUMBSCREWS ON 0YONGYANG FOLLOWING THE 6IETNAM SUMMIT BY RATCHETING UP AN ALREADY CRIPPLING SANCTIONS REGIME

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We have sufficient timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 3TATE $EPARTMENT SPOKESMAN 2OBERT 0ALLADINO AFkRMED 7ASHINGTON S COMMITMENT TO STAY ENGAGED WITH +IM HOWEVER TELLING JOURNALISTS ON 4HURSDAY THE ADMINISTRATION WAS READY FOR gCONSTRUCTIVE NEGOTIATION u 0ALLADINO WOULD NOT SAY IF 7ASHINGTON HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH 0YONGYANG OVER 3OHAE SITUATED ON .ORTH +OREA S NORTHWEST COAST OR THE ABORTED SUMMIT !ND DESPITE THE APPARENT SETBACK THE SENIOR OFkCIAL INSISTED gWE STILL BELIEVE THIS DENUCLEARIZATION IS ALL ACHIEVABLE WITHIN THE PRESIDENT S kRST TERM u 5NLESS RE ELECTED 4RUMP S TERM WILL END IN *ANUARY g7E HAVE SUFkCIENT TIME u THE OFkCIAL SAID WITHOUT MENTIONING A DEADLINE FOR REACHING AN AGREEMENT SO THE GOAL COULD BE MET g7HERE WE REALLY NEED TO SEE PROGRESS AND WE NEED TO SEE IT SOON IS MEANINGFUL AND VERIkABLE STEPS ON DENUCLEARIZATION AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN u THE OFFICIAL ADDED

WHILE STRESSING THAT THE 53 SIDE WAS PUSHING AN ALL IN STRATEGY FOR A kNAL DEAL g.OBODY IN THE ADMINISTRATION ADVOCATES A STEP BY STEP APPROACH )N ALL CASES THE EXPECTATION IS A COMPLETE DENUCLEARIZATION OF .ORTH +OREA AS A CONDITION FOR ALL THE OTHER STEPS BEING TAKEN u 0YONGYANG USED THE SITE IN AND TO LAUNCH SATELLITES A MANEUVER 7ESTERN EXPERTS BELIEVE INFORMS ITS DEVELOPMENT OF INTER CONTINENTAL MISSILES CAPABLE OF STRIKING THE 5NITED 3TATES #)! DIRECTOR 'INA (ASPEL SAID IN *ANUARY THAT .ORTH +OREA REMAINS COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING LONG RANGE MISSILES DESPITE THE DENUCLEARIZATION TALKS 0YONGYANG S TOP ALLY #HINA

SAID &RIDAY THAT THE 4RUMP +IM SUMMIT HAD BEEN AN gIMPORTANT STEPu TOWARD DENUCLEARIZATION ON THE PENINSULA BUT THAT THE ISSUE gCANNOT BE SOLVED OVERNIGHT u g!LL PARTIES MUST HAVE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS AND SHOULD NOT SET THE BAR TOO HIGH AT THE OUTSET

OR MAKE UNILATERAL UNREALISTIC DEMANDS u &OREIGN -INISTER 7ANG 9I TOLD REPORTERS AFP

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Worldinbrief

INDIA SIGNS $3B SUBMARINE DEAL WITH RUSSIA

NEW DELHI: India has signed a $3 billion deal to lease a third Russian nuclearpowered submarine for 10 years, giving Delhi a boost in the Indian Ocean against arch-rivals Pakistan and China, media reports said.The deal--which the reports said took months to negotiateâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;comes as tensions run high between India and Pakistan following their biggest standoff in years, and as Chinese influence grows in the region. A defence ministry spokesman declined to confirm the agreement to Agence France-Presse but the reports said that the submarine, the third India has leased from Russia, would be delivered by 2025. Russia, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cold War ally, remains a major supplier of arms to India, irking the United States which has imposed sanctions on nations buying military hardware from Moscow.

FINNISH GOVERNMENT RESIGNS OVER FAILED REFORMS

HELSINKI: Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila tendered his center-right governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resignation on Friday after it failed to push a through a social and health care reform package, the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office announced. The office of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said that Sipila submitted the resignation of the government to Presdient Niinisto and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the president has accepted the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resignation and asked it to continue on a caretaker basis until a new government has been appointed.â&#x20AC;? Sipila, a former businessman who earned millions as an IT entrepreneur before becoming prime minister in 2015, has made health and social reform one of his top priorities in office, seeing a shake-up as necessary to cut the ballooning costs of treating a rapidly ageing population. The proportion of over-65s in the Nordic country, which has a population of 5.4 million, is expected to reach 26 percent by 2030. The reform has been a hard wrought struggle over a decade and has divided successive governments.

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

World

B7

China promises to defend companies

B

EIJING: Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foreign minister on Friday promised â&#x20AC;&#x153;all necessary measuresâ&#x20AC;? to defend Chinese companies and citizens abroad amid legal clashes between tech giant Huawei and Washington.

2ECENT LEGAL ACTION AGAINST #HINESE COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS IS gDELIBERATE POLITICAL SUPPRESSION u SAID 7ANG 9I AT A NEWS CONFERENCE 7ANG WAS RESPONDING TO A QUESTION ABOUT "EIJING S STANCE ON #ANADA S ARREST OF A (UAWEI 4ECHNOLOGIES ,TD EXECUTIVE ON 5 3 CRIMINAL CHARGES AND THE COMPANY S LAWSUIT IN AN !MERICAN COURT AIMED AT OVERTURNING

RESTRICTIONS ON SALES OF ITS TELECOM EQUIPMENT g2ECENT ACTIONS AGAINST SPECIkC #HINESE ENTERPRISES AND INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT SIMPLY JUDICIAL CASES

BUT DELIBERATE POLITICAL SUPPRESSION u SAID 7ANG "EIJING WILL TAKE gALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO RESOLUTELY SAFEGUARD THE LEGITIMATE RIGHTS AND INTERESTS OF #HINESE ENTERPRISES AND CITI-

ZENS u HE SAID g7E ALSO SUPPORT COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS USING LEGAL WEAPONS TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS AND INTERESTS AND NOT TO BE SILENT LAMBS u #HINA S GOVERNMENT HAS DEMANDED #ANADA RELEASE (UAWEI S CHIEF kNANCIAL OFkCER 3HE IS kGHTING 53 EFFORTS TO EXTRADITE HER TO FACE CHARGES OF LYING TO BANKS ABOUT DEALINGS WITH )RAN 7ANG GAVE NO DETAILS OF WHAT "EIJING MIGHT DO BUT A #ANADIAN FORMER DIPLOMAT AND A BUSINESSMAN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN #HINA IN WHAT IS WIDELY SEEN AS AN EFFORT TO PRESSURE #ANADA !UTHORITIES ALSO HAVE SLOWED IMPORTS OF #ANADIAN CANOLA AN

OILSEED CROP

BY IMPOSING MORE STRINGENT INSPECTIONS -EANWHILE (UAWEI FACES CHARGES INCLUDING THEFT OF TRADE SECRETS IN A CASE IN FEDERAL COURT IN 3EATTLE 4HE COMPANY PLEADED NOT GUILTY THIS MONTH /N 4HURSDAY (UAWEI ANNOUNCED IT kLED A LAWSUIT ASKING 5 3 FEDERAL COURT TO THROW OUT A PORTION OF THIS YEAR S !MERICAN MILITARY APPROPRIATIONS BILL THAT BARS THE GOVERNMENT FROM USING ITS TECHNOLOGY OR DEALING WITH CONTRACTORS THAT DO (UAWEI ARGUES THE MEASURE IMPROPERLY SINGLES OUT THE COMPANY FOR PENALTIES WITHOUT GIVING IT A CHANCE TO DEFEND ITSELF AP

BATTLING POLITICAL CRISIS, TRUDEAU DENIES WRONGDOING

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday (Friday in Manila) denied accusations of â&#x20AC;&#x153;inappropriateâ&#x20AC;? meddling in the prosecution of a corporate giant. Facing calls to resign over the snowballing scandal, Trudeau addressed the allegations head-on in a morning news conference in Ottawaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;saying he had learned â&#x20AC;&#x153;lessonsâ&#x20AC;? from the crisis, but denying any wrongdoing. Addressing the media, the 47-year-old premier acknowledged he raised the pending trial during a meeting last September with then attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybouldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; whose resignation touched off the crisis. He said they discussed its possible impact on jobs in his Montreal electoral base. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;this comment was not partisan in nature.â&#x20AC;? Trudeauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inner circle is accused of pressuring his former attorney general to shield Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin from a bribery trial. The case has already triggered the resignation of Trudeauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right-hand man and two cabinet ministers.

CHINA PROSECUTES 11 PEOPLE IN $119M TOTOABA FISH BUST

BEIJING: Chinese authorities have prosecuted 11 people for smuggling $119 million worth of Mexican totoaba fish swim bladders, one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest busts related to the trafficking of an endangered species used in traditional medicine. The Jiangmen city procuratorate in southern Guangdong province said the 11 people are suspected of smuggling nearly 20,000 swim bladders worth more than 800 million yuan ($119 million) from Mexico. The group of smugglers, led by an individual named Liang Weihua, transported the fish parts in â&#x20AC;&#x153;large quantitiesâ&#x20AC;? and sold them to consumers in China. It added that the crime lasted for more than three years and the smuggling route involved a number of neighbouring countries, including Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, it said, adding that the case is currently under further investigation. Mexico has urged China for years to crack down on totoaba smuggling over fears that illegal fishing operations in the Gulf of California are also killing off the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smallest porpoise, the near-extinct vaquita marina.

AFP

WOMEN POWER

Indonesian women laborers carry goods and gets paid US $3.50 a day at a market in Surabaya on March 8, 2019, as the country mark International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. Hundreds of activists marched to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta with banners and placards calling for more equality for Indonesian women. AFP PHOTO

SSATURDAY AT URDAY MARCH 9,, 2019

Public Square publicsquare@manilatimes.net

JCB teams up with Robinsons Bank Corp

B8 Public Square appears on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

For contributions, email to publicsquare@manilatimes.net

CBCP cited for environmental advocacy

R

OBINSONS Bank Corp. (Robinsons Bank), a fast growing bank under JG Summit Holdings, Inc., one of the biggest conglomerates in the Philippines, and JCB International Co., Ltd. (JCBI), the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., have forged a new partnership for JCB merchant acquiring and card issuing business. The partnership allows the acceptance of JCB cards at merchants that use Robinsons Bank payment terminals and payment gateway at their place of business.

This partnership between RobINSONS "ANK AND *#" WILL BENEkT all JCB card members in the Philippines and overseas. JCB is a global brand based in Japan with a total of 120 million card members worldwide. JCB card members will be able to use their JCB cards at all establishments that engage Robinsons Bank as their payment service provider.

In 2019, JCB card members will

Q During the ceremonial signing from left: Robinsons Bank President and CEO Elfren Antonio Sarte, Robinsons Bank Chairman of the Board Lance Gokongwei, JCB International President and COO Kimihisa Imada, JCB Philippines Current Country Head Mikihisa Asano, and JCB Philippines Incoming Country Head Yusuke Matsui. also be able to transact at other that this partnership with Robinsons "ANK IS GEARED UP TO OFFER lEXIBLE RETAIL OUTLETS SUCH AS #EBU 0ACIkC "ANK WILL BRING MORE BENEkTS AND payment solutions to complement one of the largest airline compa- convenience to all JCB card mem- JCBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product offerings. We are nies in the Philippines. bers. We are also looking forward to CONkDENT THAT THIS ALLIANCE WILL According to Kimihisa Imada, exploring further business opportu- BENEkT CUSTOMERS IN THE 0HILIPJCBI president and CEO, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Phil- nities such as Robinsons Bank - JCB pines and overseas, as we offer ippines continues to be one of the Card issuance soon.â&#x20AC;? more avenues of efficient and most important markets for JCBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very pleased to kick COMPETITIVE kNANCIAL SERVICES TO global business expansion and we off 2019 by having JCB on board. provide the best experience,â&#x20AC;? said are excited to welcome our new With the relative advancements Elfren Antonio Sarte, Robinsons partner to the JCB network. I am sure of electronic payment, Robinsons Bank president and CEO.

EastWest inaugurates Binondo Priority Center EASTWEST Bank, one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading and most consumer-focused banks, recently inaugurated its new EastWest Binondo Priority Center located at A. CBK Building, Quintin Paredes Rd. in Binondo, Manila.

As part of EastWest Priority, the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth management unit, EastWest Binondo Priority Center provides its exclusive members with expert and CUSTOMIZED kNANCIAL SOLUTIONS MORE personalized service, wider range of products, and more investment options.

It also opens up a world of privileges through the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exclusive offerings.

EastWest President and Deputy CEO Bobby Reyes said that EastWestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Priority Centers provide their Priority customers expert care with their well-trained and professional Relationship Managers managing

Q Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles (center) and Caloocan Bishop Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio David (right) receive the Climate Reality Leadership Award from Climate Reality Project PH Head Rodne Galicha LEADERS of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and their respective communities of the faithful received awards for their stance against environmental destruction and degradation, given by one of the foremost climate conservation groups in the Philippines.

The Climate Reality Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Philippines, the local mission of the PIONEERING NONPROkT ORGANIZATION established by world-renowned climate proponent, Nobel Laureate and former United States Vice President Al Gore, bestowed upon CBCP some of its highest honors in its annual Climate Reality Leadership Awards held in November 2018.

The citations were formally given

to CBCP as an organization and to its individual leaders during a separate special ceremony held recently.

The CBCP received the Luntiang Karaykaray Award, which is given to groups, networks or alliances that help elevate environmental issues from the grassroots level to the international arena. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Karaykarayâ&#x20AC;? is a Waray word for small waves and ripples produced by RAPIDS THAT lOW DOWNSTREAM CBCP in particular has been consistent and strong in its stance against environmental destruction, releasing a pastoral statement entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;What is happening to our beautiful land?â&#x20AC;? which has been cited in Pope Francisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; seminal encyclical on the environment, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Laudato Si.â&#x20AC;?

Cemex rebuilds Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Village for ABS-CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bantay Bata 163 Q EastWest Vice Chairman and CEO Antonio Moncupa Jr, EW President and Deputy CEO Jesus Roberto Reyes, and guest of honor former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada lead the inauguration of Binondo Priority Center. their portfolio and helping them has customer service as its distinguished The EastWest Binondo Priority with their transactions. trademark and make it the bank of #ENTER BRINGS TO kVE THE BANK S 0RIORâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Like all our EastWest Priority Cen- choice of different market segments, ity Centers, with the other four being ters, the Binondo Priority Center will most especially the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Priority or situated at the Bonifacio Global City, further build EastWest as a brand that AFlUENT MARKET SEGMENT u SAID 2EYES Alabang, Ayala, and Ortigas.

UST alumna receives inaugural Asean Prize UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas Communication Arts alumna Erlinda Uy-Koe won the inaugural prize awarded by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for her advocacy on autism inclusion.

The award was conferred upon Uy-Koe by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Asean Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi, during the opening ceremony of the 33rd Asean Summit and Related Summits in Singapore witnessed by Asean leaders.

The Asean Prize, administered by the Asean Secretariat, aims to recognize inspiring achievements and contributions of an individual

or organization that foster the Asean identity, promote the Asean spirit, and champion the Asean way. The sponsors for the Asean Prize 2018 were Temasek Foundation Connects of Singapore, the Ayala Corporation of the Philippines and Yayasan Hasanah of Malaysia.

Uy-Koe is chairman emeritus of Autism Society Philippines (ASP).

Under her leadership, the ASP with 96 chapters nationwide, has become one of the most vibrant disability organizations in the Philippines.

At the regional level, Uy-Koe served as chair of the Asean Autism Network (AAN), comprising of autism family support organizations

Q Erlinda Uy-Koe (center) receives her prize from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) and Asean Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi. from Asean member states. The AAN non-discriminatory programs to is a platform for member states to support persons living with autism cooperate and unite in developing and their families.

UBS PH hosts first ever trading symposium UBS recently hosted the first ever trading symposium in the 0HILIPPINES ALONGSIDE ITS lAGSHIP conference in Manila.

UBS brings together external and UBS speakers to discuss about the latest regulations and market structures that impact the liquidity landscape. This is part of UBSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ongoing commitment in developing the Philippine capital market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given the fast changing business and regulatory environment, it is imperative for clients to embrace the constantly evolving global

trends in trading. Our aim is to be the bridge to our clients, keeping them aware of key developments and the impact to markets,â&#x20AC;? says Richie Diaz, head of Philippine Client Trading and Execution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rise of passive funds have brought a shift in the trading landscape, with the Philippines included.

The Symposium, is part of UBSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; long term investment in the Philippines to help clients better understand the risks and opportunities, how to be on top of the trading game and compete on a global levelâ&#x20AC;? he added.

Q Members of the panel, from left: Roel Refran, Philippine Stock Exchange COO; Rajarshi Sen, MSCI vice president; David Rabinowitz, UBS APAC Market Structure and Beta Solutions head; Richie Diaz, UBS Philippine Client Trading and Execution head; Nicole Javellana, UBS Asean Salestrading and Execution, head; and Joy Francis, APAC Electronic Trading Sales.

Ninch and representatives from several Guam businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Guam team did an outs t a n d i n g j o b i n d i s p l ay i n g our Chamoru culture, especially through the help of our award-winning performers from Gumaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Taotao Tano,â&#x20AC;? said GVB President and CEO Pilar LaguaĂąa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were very successful in promoting our island, strengthening partnerships with key trade partners, travel agents and airlines, and working together with our GVB members.â&#x20AC;?

GVB participating partners t included Sentry Hospitality,

ture, the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Village is a symbol of hope for children, so they can have a better future. It is an avenue where healing, recovery and transformation take place. Photo shows Jing CastaĂąeda, program director for Bantay Bata 163 of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, expressing gratitude to Cemex Philippines represented by [left] Chito Maniago, CHP Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Director and Executive Director of Cemex Philippines Foundation and Ignacio Mijares (right), CHP President and CEO.

Anchanto introduces â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Free Foreverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; plan ANCHANTO announced the launch of its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Forever Freeâ&#x20AC;? plan to help smaller sellers and micro small and medium enterprises (micro SMEs) to participate in the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lucrative e-commerce sector.

The plan allows SMEs to use Anchantoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s e-commerce marketplace management software, SelluSeller, which gives online sellers the ability to manage their online selling on multiple marketplaces, including inventory, orders, pricing, promotions, listings, reports and much more, all on one centralized platform. Micro SMEs can now use this service to connect to newer marketplaces, web-

stores and logistics partners across nine countries to grow their revenue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Free Foreverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; plan was designed with entrepreneurs and the smallest SMEs in mind, and to help them scale their business across Asia through digital channelsâ&#x20AC;? said Vaibhav Dabhade (in photo), the founder and CEO of Anchanto.

Fly Better with Emiratesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; special fares this summer

Guam recognized at 26th PTTA expo GUAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHamoru culture was prominently featured and recognized with the Best Performance award at the 26th Philippine Travel Agencies Association Travel Tour Expo recently.

The three-day expo, which was held from February 8 to 10 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay, attracted an estimated 120,000 attendees, travel agents and travelers looking for deals from participating vendors. GVB led a group at the annual event, which included Gumaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Taotao Tano cultural performers, Miss Universe Guam 2018 Athena Mc-

CEMEX Holdings Philippines (CHP), through its social development arm, Cemex Philippines Foundation, continues to support infrastructure programs that will benefit future generations. Through its partnership with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Cemex will help rehabilitate the Bantay Bata 163 Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Village, a 2.5-hectare piece of land in Norzagaray, Bulacan. The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Village is an integral part of Bantay Bata 163â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs because it serves as a shelter for abused children who were rescued. More than just a struc-

Q Team Guam is recognized with the Best Performance award for featuring the Chamoru culture at the 26th Philippine Travel Agencies Association Travel Tour Expo.

The Guam team also met with Pacific Star Hotel and Resort, Guam Reef and Olive Spa Re- airline partners such as Cebu sort, PacTours, Phil Guam USA 0ACIkC 0HILIPPINE !IRLINES AND Travel and Tours, Pacific Island United to discuss upcoming proHolidays/Vacations Guam U.S. grams and collaborative efforts to bring more visitors to Guam. and T Galleria by DFS Guam.

WITH summer vacation just around the corner, Emirates is giving you and your family more reasons to explore the world, experience new cultures, and create lasting memories through great deals for a limited time this March. %NJOY SPECIAL RATES FOR lIGHTS TO select destinations in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. For as low as $2,479 for Business Class and $679 for Economy Class, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be travelling in luxury and style with Emiratesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; AWARD WINNING SERVICES AND INlIGHT

features. Special fares can be booked online via www.emirates.com/ph or through your preferred travel agents from March 7 to 17. These rates are inclusive of taxes except Philippine Travel Tax. The special fares are valid for travel from now until Dec. 31, 2019. Blackout periods and other terms and conditions apply.

Sports

SATURDAY MARCH 9, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Bucks bounce back from losses to punish Pacers L

Q Milwaukee Bucksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks during the second half of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday in Milwaukee. AP PHOTO

OS ANGELES: The NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks broke out of a mini slump and the Oklahoma City Thunder kept up their playoff push on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points AND MADE REBOUNDS AS THE kRST PLACE "UCKS regained their swagger by cruising to a 117-98 victory over the Indiana Pacers. g7E JUST TRIED TO PLAY HARD AND GET BACK ON track,â&#x20AC;? Antetokounmpo said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We got back TO OUR OLD HABITS AND STARTED DEFENDING AND HELPING ONE ANOTHER ON DEFENCE u )N THE LATE GAME 2USSELL 7ESTBROOK AND 0AUL 'EORGE COMBINED FOR POINTS AS THE 4HUNDER OVERCAME $AMIAN ,ILLARD S POINTS TO BEAT THE 4RAIL "LAZERS IN A THRILLING OVERTIME CONTEST IN 0ORTLAND 4HE "UCKS HAD HIT A SNAG AS THEY WERE COMING OFF LOSING BACK TO BACK GAMES FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON WHEN THEY FAILED TO HOLD BIG LEADS AGAINST THE 0HOENIX 3UNS AND THE 5TAH *AZZ 4HE FUNK DIDN T LAST LONG THOUGH AS THEY BOUNCED BACK NICELY AGAINST THE 0ACERS +HRIS -IDDLETON ADDED POINTS FOR THE "UCKS WHO IMPROVED TO A ."! BEST ON THE SEASON g4HE LAST TWO GAMES WE HAD TROUBLE HOLDING ONTO A LEAD u SAID -IDDLETON g)T WAS GREAT to get this win and get back to what we do.â&#x20AC;?

-YLES 4URNER HAD POINTS AND "OJAN "OGDANOVIC FOR THE 0ACERS WHO LOST STAR GUARD 6ICTOR /LADIPO TO A SEASON ENDING INJURY LAST MONTH

Formidable Petron, F2 Logistics plunge into action vs respective foes !&4%2 kGURING IN A kERCE BATTLE FOR PRIDE and supremacy, powerhouse Petron and F2 Logistics hit warpath anew in a bid to kNISH THE kRST ROUND ON A HIGH NOTE IN THE 0HILIPPINE 3UPERLIGA 'RAND 0RIX TODAY AT THE -UNTINLUPA 3PORTS #ENTER 4HE "LAZE 3PIKERS BATTLE #IGNAL AT P M WHILE THE #ARGO -OVERS CLASH WITH 0,$4 IN THE P M FEATURED ENCOUNTER OF THIS PRESTIGIOUS WOMEN S CLUB LEAGUE THAT HAS %30.

AND 0LUS AS BROADCAST PARTNERS 7ITH A DEADLY BREW OF kREPOWER DEFENSIVE INTENSITY AND EXPERIENCE THE "LAZE 3PIKERS ARE THE HOTTEST TEAM IN THIS IMPORT lAVORED CONFERENCE THAT ALSO HAS !SICS -UELLER -IKASA 3ENOH 4EAM 2EBEL 3PORTS "IZOOKU

5#0" 'EN #OCOLIFE (OTEL 3OGO AND $ATA 0ROJECT AS TECHNICAL SPONSORS )N ITS

WIN OVER THE #ARGO -OVERS LATE 4HURSDAY THE "LAZE 3PIKERS DISPLAYED THEIR VAUNTED STRENGTH

SPARKING TALKS THAT THEY ARE LEAVING NO STONE UNTURNED IN RECLAIMING THEIR 'RAND 0RIX TITLE )MPORT +ATHERINE "ELL WAS THE STAR OF THE SHOW AS SHE ERUPTED FOR CONFERENCE HIGH POINTS WHILE 3TEPHANIE .IEMER TALLIED KILLS SIX ACES AND TWO BLOCKS FOR A POINT EFFORT FOR THE "LAZE 3PIKERS WHO CAPTURED their sixth straight win.

3TILL HEAD COACH 3HAQ $ELOS 3ANTOS DOESN T WANT TO BE COMPLACENT ESPECIALLY WITH FATIGUE STARTING TO TAKE ITS TOLL g7E RE PLAYING OUR THIRD GAME IN kVE DAYS SO IT S GOING TO BE TOUGH u SAID $ELOS 3ANTOS FOLLOWING THEIR BIG WIN OVER THE #ARGO -OVERS THAT DISPLAYED THE PROWESS OF TWO OF THE BEST CLUB TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY TODAY g4HERE S NO TIME FOR BREAK #IGNAL IS A NO non-sense team. We have to go there and PREPARE FOR THEM WITH VERY LIMITED TIME u "UT ATTENTION WILL BE TRAINED ON THE #ARGO -OVERS !FTER THAT SORRY LOSS TO 0ETRON & ,Ogistics is tipped to vent its ire on PLDT, which saw its three-game streak snapped BY 5NITED 6# ALSO LAST 4HURSDAY g)T WAS SUCH AS TOUGH LOSS AND WE HAVE TO RECOVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE u SAID & ,OGISTICS COACH 2AMIL DE *ESUS WHO ALSO HANDLES $E ,A 3ALLE 5NIVERSITY IN THE 5!!0 )MPORT ,INDSAY 3TALZER WILL AGAIN LEAD AFTER A HIT EFFORT AGAINST THE "LAZE 3PIKERS WHILE "ECKY 0ERRY !BY -ARANO -AJOY "ARON AND $AWN -ACANDILI ARE EXPECTED TO CHIP IN SIGNIkCANT CONTRIBUTION TO & ,OGISTICS WHICH IS MISSING THE SERVICES OF INJURED +IM &AJARDO

#HA #RUZ AND +IANNA $Y

4HE LOSS ALSO ENDED "OGDANOVIC S STREAK OF kVE STRAIGHT POINT GAMES 4HE "UCKS HAVE NOW BEATEN THE 0ACERS IN FOUR OF kVE CONTESTS THIS SEASON 4HE "UCKS OPENED THEIR LARGEST LEAD OF THE kRST HALF AT ON TWO FREE THROWS BY Antetokounmpo, but the Pacers went on a RUN TO CLOSE WITHIN AT THE BREAK â&#x20AC;&#x153;Too much Antetokounmpo, too much -IDDLETON u 0ACERS COACH .ATE -C-ILLAN said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When they have the attack at the basket AND ARE KNOCKING DOWN THREES THEY RE GOING to be tough to guard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were pretty much knocking shots DOWN FROM THE PERIMETER AND GETTING SHOTS at the rim tonight. We missed some shots. We HAD SOME OPEN LOOKS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOCK DOWN AND WE DIDN T EARLY u -ILWAUKEE WENT ON A RUN EARLY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER TO TAKE COMMAND OF THE GAME 0ACERS +YLE / 1UINN SCORED A BASKET TO CUT THE "UCKS LEAD TO TO START THE kNAL QUARTER -ILWAUKEE S %RSAN )LYASOVA SPARKED THE run with a three pointer and Antetokounmpo CAPPED IT WITH A DRIVING LAYUP TO MAKE IT 74 with 8:21 remaining. %LSEWHERE 7ESTBROOK SCORED POINTS AND 'EORGE TALLIED POINTS AS THE 4HUNDER SWEPT THE SEASON SERIES AGAINST THE 4RAIL "LAZ-

ERS BY WINNING ALL FOUR GAMES g)N OVERTIME WE GOT THREE OR FOUR STOPS in a row and made some big buckets,â&#x20AC;? said 7ESTBROOK g)T WAS A GREAT ROAD WIN FOR US

ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR u ,ILLARD ALSO HAD NINE ASSISTS #* -C#OLLUM ADDED POINTS AND *USUF .URKIC HAD POINTS AND REBOUNDS FOR THE 4RAIL "LAZERS In the overtime, Westbrook set the tone by SCORING kVE OF THE 4HUNDER S kRST SEVEN POINTS ON A THREE POINTER AND TWO FREE THROWS FOR A LEAD WITH LEFT

Nurkic ejected 'EORGE HIT ONE OF TWO FOUL SHOTS FOR A ADVANTAGE AND 7ESTBROOK S LAYUP MADE IT WITH JUST OVER TWO MINUTES LEFT 'EORGE MADE TWO FOUL SHOTS FOR A SEVEN POINT LEAD WITH SECONDS REMAINING The game got heated at times as Westbrook AND 'EORGE BOTH HAD RUN INS WITH 0ORTLAND S .URKIC .URKIC OF "OSNIA RECEIVED HIS SECOND TECHNICAL FOUL WITH FOUR SECONDS LEFT IN THE FOURTH which earned him an automatic ejection. AFP

ALASKA EYES SOLO THIRD VS MAGNOLIA IN ANTIPOLO 50"%!4 AFTER SOUNDLY BEATING CROWD FAVORITE "ARANGAY 'INEBRA 3AN -IGUEL ON 3UNDAY LAST CONFERENCE S kNALIST !LASKA MEETS REIGNING 'OVERNORS #UP CHAMPION -AGNOLIA AT P M TONIGHT IN 3EASON 0HILIPPINE "ASKETBALL !SSOCIATION 0HILIPPINE #UP AT THE 9NARES

3PORTS #ENTER IN !NTIPOLO #ITY 4HIS WILL BE THE kRST MEETING OF THE TWO TEAMS MEET SINCE THE (OTSHOTS DEFEATED THE !CES IN SIX GAMES DURING THE 'OVERNORS #UP &INALS ALSO IN THE SAME VENUE !LASKA WIN LOSS RECORD NEEDS BACK

TO BACK VICTORIES TO REMAIN AT .O WHILE THE !CES ARE HOPING TO DUPLICATE THEIR HUGE WIN OVER THE 'IN +INGS AGAINST THE (OTSHOTS g-AGNOLIA IS A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM 7E KNOW THAT BETTER THAN ANYBODY !LL OF THEIR GAMES HAVE BEEN CLOSE AND THEY COULD EASILY BE RIGHT NOW u SAID !LASKA COACH !LEX #OMPTON g)N MY ESTIMATION THIS WOULD BE the time where they are the most dangerous.

7E KNOW WE HAVE ANOTHER TOUGH BATTLE ON our hands.â&#x20AC;?

-AGNOLIA IS KEEN TO REGAIN ITS RHYTHM AFTER LOSING TO 0HOENIX 0ULSE

ON 7EDNESDAY 4HE (OTSHOTS ARE FACED WITH A TOUGH TASK OF WINNING THEIR

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Tigresses brace to establish first win streak UNIVERSITY of Sto. Tomas (UST) is poised to establish its first winning streak against the skidding National University (NU) in Season 81 University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s volleyball tournament today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Golden Tigresses, showing grit and determination despite the absence of injured Milena Alessandrini, beat reigning champion De La Salle University, 25-20, 25-22, 25-17, on Wednesday.

UST is hoping to ride the winning momentum as it shoots for a second straight win and fourth overall versus NU at 4 p.m.

The EspaĂąa-based volleybelles are keen to break away from a threeway deadlock with La Salle and Far Eastern University, with similar 3-2 records, in the third to fifth spots.

Graduating captain Sisi Rondina and rookie spiker Eya Laure are expected to lead the Tigresses anew supported by Dimdim Pacres, Kecelyn Galdones and setter Mafe Galanza.

It is still uncertain if sophomore spiker Alessandrini will see action today.

Meanwhile, No. 7 NU will try to arrest a two-game slide and improve its dismal 1-3 card.

The Lady Bulldogs suffered backto-back defeats at the hands of La Salle and Adamson last week.

Mentor Norman Miguel will rely on Roselyn Doria and Audrey Paran as well as rookies Princess Robles and Ivy Lacsina for the task.

In the 2 p.m. opening game, La Salle and University of the East (1-4) are both eyeing a bounce back win.

The Lady Spikers and the Lady Red Warriors both suffered back-to-back losses in their previous outings.

On Sunday, Ateneo De Manila University (3-1) and University of the Philippines (3-1) will dispute the top spot.

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA remaining six games to stay in contention FOR A QUARTERFINAL BERTH g7E REALLY NEED TO TREAT OUR REMAINING GAMES WITH PLAYOFF MENTALITY )F WE LOSE MAYBE WE LL BE OUT 7E JUST HAVE TO move on and concentrate on our game 3ATURDAY u SAID -AGNOLIA COACH #HITO 6ICTOLERO WHO IS GOING TO RELY ON *IO *ALALON -ARK "ARROCA AND 0AUL ,EE )N THE P M GAME 4.4 +A4ROPA EYES ITS THIRD CONSECUTIVE VICTORY WHEN IT FACES "LACKWATER ! WIN BY 4.4 WILL KEEP THEM AT .O AND IN CONTENTION FOR ONE OF THE TWO TWICE TO BEAT QUARTERkNALS BONUSES 4.4 IS COMING OFF A WIN OVER 2AIN OR 3HINE ON 3UNDAY BEHIND *AYSON #ASTRO S NEAR TRIPLE DOUBLE OF POINTS ASSISTS AND seven rebounds.

"LACKWATER IS DESPERATE TO KEEP ITS lICKERING QUARTERkNAL HOPES ALIVE 4HE %LITE BEAT THE #OLUMBIAN $YIP

LAST WEEK BEHIND !LLEIN -ALIKSI S POINTS JOSEF T. RAMOS

BVR on Tour Puerto Galera leg opens today

Q Simon Enciso of Alaska (No. 0) soars past Greg Slaughter of Ginebra as LA Tenorio (No. 5) looks on during a Season 44 PBA Philippine Cup game at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

PUERTO Galera will host the first leg of the 2019 Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour.

A competitive field of 10 womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teams will vie for the top honors in the BVR on Tour Amazing Puerto Galera Dreamwave Open, which begins today at the Dreamwave White Beach in Puerto Galera.

The famed Oriental Mindoro resort town also hosted the event in January last year, with the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pair of Bea Tan and Charo Soriano, and the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s duo of Jade Becaldo and Calvin Q University of Santo Tomasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MJ Ebro will be one Sarte ruling the leg. of the players to watch out for in the BVR on Tour In the second edition of the BVR on Amazing Puerto Galera Dreamwave Open, which Tour in Puerto Galera, Tan will have Dij begins today at the Dreamwave White Beach in Rodriguez as her partner, while Becaldo Puerto Galera. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO will have Fort Llores on his side this time.

Other womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pairs are Air Forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s May Ann Pantino The Tan-Rodriguez partnership worked wonders in the and Jossa Cabalsa, Angel Antipuesto and Mikaela Paraw Regatta National Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beach Volleyball tourna- Andres, FEU-Dilimanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rizalie Amaro and Shiela Mae ment in Iloilo last month, winning the gold medal.

Kiseo, Lyann Louise de Guzman and Nikka Ann Medina, Also expected to stand out in the two-day Rizal Technological Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mary Jean Ruiz and spikefest are University of Santo Tomas womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jonna Mae de Lima. duos of Mer Jauculan and Derie Virtusio, and Completing the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cast are Air Forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cara Rosales and MJ Ebro, and the sister tandem Edwin Tolentino and Ruben Inaudito, National of Roma Joy and Roma Mae Doromal.

Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Edward Camposano and James BuyIn the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s division, the other Visayan pair of trago, USTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rancel Varga and Ef Dimaculangan, Kevin Juban and Raphy Abanto and former UAAP FEUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kevin Hadlocon and Jose Javelona, RTUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champions KR Guzman and Krung Arbasto are Carlo Sebastian and Antonio Torres and Philip fancied to contend for the crown.

Bagalay and Beneth Abellada.

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Sports

TheË&#x153;Manila Times

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

Defending champions Lady Falcons run unbeaten in 8 games ADAMSON University repeated over University of Santo Tomas, 7-1, on Thursday as the title-defending Lady Falcon moved another step closer to claiming their ninth UAAP womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s softball championship since 2010 at the Rizal Memorial ballpark.

Their seventh straight win, again courtesy of right-hand curve-throwing Lyca Basa, meant the Lady Falcons of coach Ana Santiago were four games shy of sweeping the SEVEN TEAM kELD AND KEEPING the crown theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been wearing for nearly decade.

The 22-year-old Basa, Santiagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prized recruit from Hinubaan, Negros Occidental, pitched all of the regulation seven-inning contest, scattering four hits, striking out four of the 24 UST batters she faced.

Had it not been for a rule that prescribes seven frames before a team is rewarded with a regulation victory, Adamson wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten away with an abbreviated win outright AFTER THE kRST FRAME WHERE the Lady Falcons scored two runs on pair of hits the Tigresses never surmounted.

That, too, kept Basaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s win RECORD CLEAN AT kVE Obliged to continue playing, the Lady Falcons had,

for all intent and purposes, decided the issue in the third with a stronger fourhit, four-run attack keyed by second base-girl Mary Joy Maguadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three-base-hit.

Leading off the period, Maguad swung a losing hurler Irene Lumanasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fastball, sending the leather to DEEP CENTERkELD FROM WHERE she scooted home on third base-girl Arianne Vallesterosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; single to the same spot.

Vallesteros, who stole second, followed Maguad home on an error. Another baseconnection, this time, by Mary Nichole Padasas ended the decisive period with the Lady Falcons enjoying a commanding 6-0 bubble.

University of the Philippines evened up its win-loss record to 4-4 by outgunning University of the East, 12-5, despite being outhit, 10-12.

That was the Lady Warriorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sixth setback in eight times up.

La Salle, blanked archrival Ateneo, 3-0, for its fifth triumph, also in eight outings, in the process handing its victim its eighth consecutive losses.

National University, which looks the only team capable of stopping Adamsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s juggernaut with its 5-2 card, drew a bye in Thursday.

EDDIE G. ALINEA

Yates promises stage wins at Paris-Nice PARIS: Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vuelta a Espana champion Simon Yates said Thursday (Friday in Manila) he loved racing in the eight-day Paris-Nice event and would be targeting stage wins in a highly competitive field.

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Race to the Sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; begins Sunday and after three flat stages kicks into action with a 25.5km time trial and three climb stages before a hilly last day run a round Nice next Sunday.

The 26-year-old Yates won the toughest of the climb stages on last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of Paris-Nice and came second overall by just 4sec to Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Marc Soler.

Soler will be defending his title in a challenging peloton featuring Colombiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nairo Quintana, Frenchman Romain Bardet and the 2017 winner Sergio Henao. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I enjoy Paris-Nice, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good race and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done it every year since Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

been a professional,â&#x20AC;? said Yates, whose twin brother Adam is not in the race. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very important part of the season but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going there to target it (the overall victory), as everyone knows, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going 100 percent for the Giro dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Italia (in May). â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a strong team here so we should be in the mix for most stages,â&#x20AC;? he promised after having Colombian climber Esteban Chaves named alongside him.

Mitchelton-Scott sport director Matt Wilson was also upbeat about his line up for the race. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a really good team and we are coming here to get results,â&#x20AC;? he confirmed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Simon has shown good form and his eyes are firmly set on the Giro, that is the main target and this race is a stepping stone along that way.

AFP

Q An esports tournament AFP FILE PHOTO

The Nationals aims to power PH esports T

BY JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

HE .ATIONALS THE COUNTRY S kRST AND ONLY FRANCHISE BASED ESPORTS LEAGUE IS EYEING SUSTAINABILITY FOR GAMING ATHLETES AND STAKEHOLDERS IN AN UPBEAT 0HILIPPINE ESPORTS SCENE â&#x20AC;&#x153;It (The Nationals) wants to be the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) of esports. In that manner, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s franchise-based instead of teams-based. What it does is actually continuity for esports,â&#x20AC;? said commissioner Ren Vitug during the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s media launch on Friday at the Gariath Concepts in Eastwood, Quezon City. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have witnessed many athletes gleaming with skill and potential drop out of the scene because the infrastructure was

not there to support them,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a franchise-based league like The Nationals, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually a guarantee that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to carry on for the next years.â&#x20AC;?

An initial number of six teams will vie for championships in the top three esports titles in the country, as the inaugural season of The Nationals kicks off on March 24.

Bren Epro, Cignal Ultra Warriors, Happy Feet Emperors, PLDT-Smart Omega, SuhaExecration Punishers and Team STI will

battle for supremacy in Dota 2 (PC), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (mobile) and Tekken 7 (console).

The teams will participate in all three games from March to October at the Gariath Concepts Studio.

As mandated by the league, players will have training facilities and support groups vital to their DEVELOPMENT -ANAGERS COACHES kTNESS TRAINERS

nutritionists and counselors are required. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of people think that being an esports athlete is easy but players train as long and as hard as athletes would in traditional sports,â&#x20AC;? said Vitug. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It (esports) is highly competitive and the dynamics are usually very unstable and ever-changing,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Vitug, a longtime follower of the esports industry, also said that the league would serve as a bridge for the local players to qualify for international tournaments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a step between inter-

Cebu CC still overall Interclub leader DRAWING 36 points from burly Bayani Garciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even-par 72 effort yesterday, Cebu Country Club continued to lead in the overall race of the 72nd Philippine Airlines Interclub, with Manila Southwoods regaining the Championship Division pace at Mactan Island Golf Course in Cebu.

The Founders Division campaigners pooled a third round 131 over the tight and bouncy layout near the international airport, as they take a 376 tally into todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final round at the Cebu Country Club course they all call home. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We prepared so hard to win the Founders,â&#x20AC;? playing captain Marco Sarmiento, who will play in the final round, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We never expected for any of this (leading the overall race) to be happening. But now that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re here, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll definitely go for it (overall championship).â&#x20AC;?

Should Cebu CC sustain its magnificent performance, this will mark just the second time in the long and rich history of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unofficial team championship that this will happen, with the first taking place when Aguinaldo pulled out the feat in 1988 also here in Cebu.

Marc Gonzales fired 35 and Jon Alvarez posted 33 with Cebu CC counting either 27 of

Eric Deen and Martin Mendoza.

Southwoods matched Cebu CCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 131 after getting 36 points from Sean Ramos, 33 from Masaichi Otake and 32 and 30 points, respectively, from Aidric Chan and Jae Hyung-jhun.

The Carmona-based squad, seeking to duplicate Canlubangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five-peat in the 1990s, threw away the 28 of the veteran Jun Jun Plana. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am still confident with my final round team,â&#x20AC;? non-playing skipper Thirdy Escano said as Yuto Katsuragawa, the teen Japanese national team member, comes out for Southwoods together with Carl Corpuz, Josh Jorge, Chepe Dulay and former junior world champ Kristopher Arevalo.

Luisita made a move and grabbed second spot in the Championship Division, eight points behind Southwoods, after shooting a day-best 132 built around the 35 of Luis Guerrero and the

national and grassroots,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With The Nationals, we can now create a great structure for the local athletes to strive for and hopefully this will be the start of a bigger career for them.â&#x20AC;?

All three game titles in The Nationals will be featured in the debut of esports in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, which will be hosted by the Philippines in November.

Also included in the SEA Games esports event are Starcraft II and Arena of Valor.

Vitug, who is also a member of the organizing committee for esports in the SEA Games, CLARIkED THAT THE WINNING TEAMS FROM 4HE .Ationals will not be the outright PH representatives in the biennial meet, saying that there will be separate qualifying tournaments for that.

The Nationals, which has PayMaya as its OFkCIAL DIGITAL PAYMENTS PARTNER WILL BE BROADcasted on live television through ESPN5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5Plus, eGG Network of Cignal and One Sports of Pay TV. The league will also provide livestreaming of the event on social media.

34 of Josef Bucay. Jhondee Quibol and Elee Bisera scored 32 and 31 for the Luisitans.

Del Monte was another four points behind after a 117, even as surprise first round second placer Tagaytay Highlands continued to slow down with a week-worst 104 to be at 337 and 35 points off the Championship Division pace.

Orchard stayed in second in the Founders after a 122, 23 points behind Cebu CC. Orchard is 13 points ahead of the third-placed Forest Hills squad and could wind up winning the bracket if Cebu goes on to rule the overall division.

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Interclub is sponsored by Radio Mindanao Network, Asian Air Safari, and Vanguard Radio Network. Also extending support are ABS-CBN Global Ltd. (The Filipino Channel), Rolls Royce, Primax Broadcasting Network, UM Broadcasting Network (Mindanao), Fox Sports, Cignal TV, GECAS, Boeing, Lufthansa Technik AG, Manila Standard, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, Dusit Thani Manila, and Casino Filipino. Official hotel is Quest Hotel Conference Center Cebu.

Federer shies away from Superman tag INDIAN WELLS, United States: Roger

Federer is still savoring his latest remarkable milestone, but the Swiss great says his 100th career title isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a sign heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s super-human. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem is, people always elevate the superstar athlete to like Superman status like weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re super-

Q Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a backhand during practice on day 4 of the BNP parkas Open on March 7, in Indian Wells, California.

AFP PHOTO

human and all that stuff,â&#x20AC;? Federer said Thursday as he prepared for his next challenge at the Indian Wells Masters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see myself like that. Being perfect doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist,â&#x20AC;? Federer SAID g%VERYBODY HAS THEIR lAWS So do I.â&#x20AC;?

Federer, owner of a menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record 20 Grand Slam titles, reached the 100-title milestone with a ruthless 6-4, 6-4 dismantling of Greeceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Dubai ChampiONSHIP kNAL LAST 3UNDAY Seeded fourth at Indian Wells, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll launch his bid for a sixth title in the California Desert exactly one week later when he takes on either Peter Gojowczyk or Andreas Seppi in the second round.

(E COULD kND HIMSELF TAKing on Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, in the third round in a quarter that also includes sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is something incredible to see, how (often Federer) plays at a high level and does not have many injuries,â&#x20AC;? said Nishikori. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For sure, he works so much harder than everybody.â&#x20AC;?

Federer, 37, said he never envisioned winning 100 titles -- becoming just the second player along with 109-time winner Jimmy Connors to hit triple digits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an achievement that I never thought I was going to make and one I only started thinking about maybe in the

last nine months or year or so, ever since maybe I got to 96 or 97,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Federerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 99th trophy had come last October at his home event in Basel.

He missed out on the century at the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals in London and then at Melbourne -- failing TO MAKE THE kNAL AT ANY OF those events, but when he got there in Dubai there was no room for doubt. g&IRST ATTEMPT IN A kNALS IT S nice to pass the hurdle and get to 100 rather than going to every single event from now on and going â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Is this going to be the week where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to reach 100?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and going â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yeah, I hope so,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think all the players would have gotten fed up with that too so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy I got it out of the way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I like about it is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maybe also a little time to RElECT ON ALL THESE GREAT MOments and great titles that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all very important. Some were more important than others, some were nicer than others but at the end every one has a special meaning for me.â&#x20AC;?

AFP

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

Sports

C3

Cabrera Bello two clear at Arnold Palmer Invitational M IAMI: Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rafa Cabrera Bello narrowly missed a hole-in-one on his way to taking a two-shot lead in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Q Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain plays a shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard at the Bay Hill Club on Friday in Orlando, Florida. AFP PHOTO

Cabrera Bello, who is chasing his kRST WIN ON THE 53 0'! 4OUR CARDED A SEVEN UNDER PAR AT THE "AY (ILL course in Orlando after draining eight birdies and one bogey.

4HE YEAR OLD FROM ,AS 0ALmas, who teed off on the 10th, almost capped a superb performance with an ace at the par-three second, drilling his tee-shot to within a foot of the pin.

4HE NEAR MISS HIGHLIGHTED THE Spaniardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s red hot iron play throughout the round, which helped set up an opening birdie on the par-four 10th when he nailed his second shot to within four feet.

Further birdies followed on the 12th and 13th to take him to three under before rolling in a six-foot BIRDIE PUTT ON THE TH TO REACH four under at the turn.

Although his momentum stalled with a bogey on his 10th hole, Cabrera Belloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birdie at the second was followed by three more birdies down the stretch to leave him in sole possession of the leaderboard. g4HERE S A LOT OF CHALLENGING shots,â&#x20AC;? Cabrera Bello said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pretty much on every hole itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inviting you to take a risk and it really gets you focused on what you want to do,â&#x20AC;? added Cabrera Bello, who was playing alongside Arnold Palmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandson Sam Saunders ON 4HURSDAY â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really happy to be playing HERE FOR THE kRST TIME 4O WIN AN event that has the name of one of the greatest players on earth would be really special, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ONLY 4HURSDAY u

Cabrera Bello will head into the second round two clear of +EEGAN "RADLEY WHO SHOT A lAWLESS kVE UNDER PAR TO TAKE SOLE occupancy of second place on the leaderboard. Bradleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s round INCLUDED kVE BIRDIES AND PARS

Lefty goes righty Five players were tied for third AFTER CARDING FOUR UNDER PAR S Â&#x2021; Graeme McDowell, Patrick Rodgers, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel.

-ICKELSON S WAS DISTORTED by a double-bogey six at the 10th which dropped him from three under to one under.

4HE DOUBLE BOGEY INCLUDED A bizarre attempted recovery shot, with the left-handed Mickelson switching to a right-handed stance in a failed attempt to play his way out of trouble when his tee-shot ended up nestled against a fence alongside the left fairway.

4HE YEAR OLD kVE TIME -AJOR winner rallied over the closing holes however, making three more birdies including a birdie at the last

to stay in touch with the leaders. %LSEWHERE 4HURSDAY REIGNING Masters champion Patrick Reed WAS kVE SHOTS OFF THE LEAD IN TH place after a two-under-par 70.

World number two Justin Rose was a shot back after an opening 71.

Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rory McIlroy had an erratic start with AN EVEN PAR kNISHING WITH back-to-back birdies to rescue his opening round.

But it was an unhappy first round for Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jason Day, who succumbed to a back injury and withdrew after completing only six holes.

4HE YEAR OLD WALKED OFF THE course after playing his second SHOT ON THE TH AFTER TEEING OFF on the back nine.

Day later revealed he had been struggling with a sore back last week and underwent an MRI scan on Monday which indicated a tear in a disc. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just wanted to see if I could get out here and my back may have loosened up,â&#x20AC;? Day said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But, unfortunately, it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, so I had to pull out.â&#x20AC;?

AFP

PARK SURVIVES SASO SCARE, WINS BY 2 Back problem forces Day SUNG HYUN PARK scored an expected victory in the first The Country Club Ladies Invitational in Laguna on Friday but in startling fashion as amateur Yuka Saso put up a world-class challenge all day before yielding in the end, enabling the world No. 1 to clinch a two-stroke victory despite a closing 74.

Just when everybody braced for a Park romp following her bogey-free 66 that hiked her lead to four Thursday, Saso provided not only the challenge but also the drama in a third straight high noon duel with the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best, pulling to within one with two holes left only to blow it all with a wet double bogey on the par-3 17th of the TCC layout.

That gave Park the cushion she needed to secure the victory as she closed out with pars for her worst card (36-38) in three days for a seven-under 209 total, including an opening 69, beating Saso by two as the latter birdied the tough closing hole to save a 72 and a 211. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We make mistakesâ&#x20AC;Śthatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay,â&#x20AC;? said Park, referring to her bogey on No. 15 off an errant drive that allowed Saso to threaten within one and sparked hopes for a possible playoff or a shock reversal in the $100,000 championship the former was expected to dominate with her world class skills and form.

But the Fil-Japanese pulled her teeshot into the water on the 17th. Instead of taking a drop, she opted to hit another shot but into the bunker, paving the way for Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s march to victory in the latterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first official tournament since claiming the world top ranking last Tuesday after ruling the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Championship in Singapore.

The two-time Major winner thanked her fans, including close to 30 Korean women making up the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Army,â&#x20AC;? and those who are based here. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really had fun in the past three Q Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action during a practice session on Day 2 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 05, in Indian Wells, California. AFP PHOTO

Q Sung Hyun Park kisses her trophy after ruling the TCC Ladies Invitational in Laguna on Friday at The Canlubang Golf and Country Club.

PHOTO BY ROGER RAĂ&#x2018;ADA

days and the course was in great shape,â&#x20AC;? added the 25-year-old ace, who pocketed the top purse of $15,000, way off the $225,000 she received last Sunday.

Like in Singapore, the new Solaire brand ambassador took the TCC Ladies crown the hard way as Saso, unfazed by the status and caliber of her rival, more than proved her worth in the last 18 holes, battling the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best shotfor-shot and putt-for-putt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a pro material,â&#x20AC;? said Park of the 17-year-old

reigning Asian Games champion, who impressed her as early as Tuesday during her golf clinic.

For many, Saso also came out like a winner for her gallant stand. She pressed her bid early, gaining on a twoshot swing with a birdie on the par-5 second hole which Park bogeyed on a poor third shot that found the bunker.

Saso actually outdrove, albeit slightly, the power-hitting Park a number of times, including on the last three holes at the front but failed

to completely cash in on them with flubbed birdie putts.

In contrast, the unflappable Seoul native banged in a curling 10-footer for birdie off a superb wedge shot on No. 7 to push her lead back to three although she three-putted the par-5 eighth after reaching the green in two.

It was a two-way fight from the start as the diminutive Princess Superal, the third player in the final group, was relegated to the background in a duel of long hitters, yielding an average of 3040 yards off the mound. The former US Girls Junior champion actually held sway with pars in the first four holes but dropped four strokes, including a double bogey on No. 7, in the next five.

She hit two birdies at the back but made the same number of bogeys, finished with a 76 and ended up fourth at 221, enabling LPGA Tour campaigner Dottie Ardina to snare third place at 219 after a 73. Ardina took the runner-up prize of $9,000 with Superal settling for $6,000.

The Thais, who have dominated the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour with five victories last year, never figured in the title race with Pattaraporn Mounchoo (72), Supamas Sangchan (73) and former LPGT leg winner Wannasiri Sirisampant (76) winding up joint fifth at 224.

Chakansim Khamborn (74) and Chommapat Pongthanarak (75), also of Thailand, pooled 225 for joint eighth with Tzu-Chi Lin (77), who emerged the best placed Taiwanese in the event which served as the third leg of the LPGA of Taiwan and the fifth stop of the LPGT 2018-19 circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc.

withdrawal at Bay Hill

MIAMI: Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jason Day withdrew from the Arnold Palmer )NVITATIONAL ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY in Manila) citing a back injury.

4HE YEAR OLD WALKED OFF THE course after playing his second SHOT ON THE TH HOLE AFTER TEEING off on the back nine at Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida.

Day later revealed he had been struggling with a sore back last week and underwent an MRI scan on Monday, which indicated a tear in a disc. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw a physio here (in Orlando)

and tried to do as much work as I possibly could to get ready for this week,â&#x20AC;? the world number 11 said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play at 100 percent today, so I just wanted to see if I could get out here and my back may have loosened up. But, unfortunately, it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, so I had to pull out,â&#x20AC;? said Day, who was two-over when he withdrew.

Day said he still aims to recover in time for next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Players Championship AT 40# 3AWGRASS Asked by GolfDigest. com if he intended to compete at the Players, he replied: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to try.â&#x20AC;?

AFP

Q Jason Day AFP FILE PHOTO

Djokovic eyes record sixth Indian Wells Masters title INDIAN WELLS, United States: Doubt is a distant memory for Novak Djokovic as the world No. 1 returns to Indian Wells on top of the tennis world, one year after his shock loss to QUALIkER 4ARO $ANIEL Djokovic is making his kRST START SINCE WINNING HIS third Grand Slam title on the trot at the Australian Open in January.

He said he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fully recovered from elbow surgery when he opted to compete in the California desert last year, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a decision he regrets given the events that followed in 2018. g) DEkNITELY WASN T READY to compete at this level last YEAR u THE 3ERB SAID 4HURSDAY

(Friday in Manila) as he looked forward to his title defense in the elite Masters series event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was kind of convincing myself that I was, but I truly wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know most of my team members at the time were against me playing in Indian Wells and Miami because it was too early after the surgery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I could have, should have made a different decision, but I believe it also taught me some valuable lessons that helped me to create amazing results in the next seven, eight months and get from 22 in the world to No. 1 in the world in less than six months.â&#x20AC;?

Djokovic would cement his return with a Wimbledon title and follow that with a US Open crown.

He dominated Rafael Nadal in Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Australian Open title and must be favored for a sixth Indian Wells crown â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which would see him break the record he currently shares with

fourth-seeded Roger Federer.

Djokovic will open in the second round against 128th-ranked American Bjorn Fratangelo, who beat fellow qualikER %LIAS 9MER OF 3WEDEN

He could face a dangerous thirdround clash with Australian Nick Kyrgios, seeded 31st, who is coming OFF HIS kRST TITLE IN MORE THAN A YEAR IN Acapulco last week.

Kyrgios will take on Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round after the German veteran dispatched Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 0IERRE (UGUES (ERBERT

Kyrgios in-form 4HE !USTRALIAN BEAT .ADAL FORMER world number three Stan Wawrkina, ninth-ranked John Isner and number three Alexander Zverev on route the title in Mexico.

He also holds a 2-0 career record against Djokovic, including a straight-

sets victory over the Serb star in Indian Wells two years ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I get a chance to play against him ... Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look forward to that because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-form,â&#x20AC;? Djokovic said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the other hand, I started the season very well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope I can restart here where I stopped in Australia.â&#x20AC;? )N OTHER kRST ROUND MATCHES 4HURSday American Sam Querrey defeated )TALIAN -ATTEO "ERRETTINI

TO LINE UP A MEETING WITH 13th-seeded Milos Raonic -- a rematch OF THEIR QUARTERkNAL HERE LAST YEAR WON by the Canadian.

Veteran Ivo Karlovic defeated AusTRALIAN -ATTHEW %BDEN

TO LINE UP AN ALL #ROATIAN CLASH with 11th-seeded Borna Coric.

Canadian 18-year-old Felix Auger!LIASSIME RANKED TH IN THE WORLD

DEFEATED "RITAIN S #AMERON .ORRIE

TO BOOK A MEETING WITH RISING 'REEK STAR 3TEFANOS 4SITSIPAS AFP

Football Rennes stuns Arsenal as Chelsea, Napoli near quarters R C4

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

ENNES, France: Chelsea and Napoli closed IN ON THE %UROPA ,EAGUE QUARTERkNALS

but Arsenal face a major battle to reach the last eight after a 3-1 defeat away to Rennes on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Alex Iwobi gave the Gunners a perfect start in north-western France at a raucous Roazhon Park, but the match hinged on the sending-off of Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos four minutes before half-time.

Benjamin Bourigeaud equalized moments later, and the hostsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; second-half pressure paid off as a Nacho Monreal own goal put Rennes ahead before Ismaila Sarrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late header gave them a two-goal cushion in the tie.

Unai Emeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side must now turn the tie around in the second leg in London next Thursday if they are to progress any further in a competition which represents their only hope of silverware this season, and offers a potential route into next seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Champions League with Arsenal sitting outside the top four in the Premier League. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we can do better, 3-1 is hard for us,â&#x20AC;? said Emery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are going to think for next

week. We will start with 11 against 11, without Sokratis, without (Alexandre) Lacazette, but if we play LIKE WE DID IN THE kRST MINUTES

with our supporters also, we will have the

possibility to come back.â&#x20AC;?

The Gunners recovered from a kRST LEG DEkCIT TO BEAT "!4% "ORISOV in the last round, but Rennes are a step up in quality and are reveling in what is already their best ever European run.

A f t e r I wo b i â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s e a r l y opener, the game turned just before half time when Hatem Ben Arfa played in Sarr, who was hauled back

by Sokratis just outside the area. The Greek defender had already been booked, so a second caution

Saint-Germain said on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

The Brazil forward watched on forlornly from the stands at the Parc des Princes as PSG crashed out of the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday to Manchester United on away goals following a 3-1 defeat.

crucial third goal two minutes from time.

Chelsea cruises Chelsea may also need this competition to get back in the Champions League next season and the Blues EASED PAST $YNAMO +IEV AT Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Pedro Rodriguez, Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Pedro could have had at least a hat-trick as Denys Boyko denied him

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Neymar Jr â&#x20AC;&#x153;Neymar Jr will travel to Aspetar (sports clinic) in Qatar for the next 3 days as scheduled in the initial recovery plan,â&#x20AC;? the club wrote on its Twitter account. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He will undertake a complete assessment after six weeks of his injury. He will be accompanied by a medical team from PSG.â&#x20AC;?

The 27-year-old damaged the fifth metatarsal in his right foot

Q Chelseaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spanish defender Marcos Alonso (right) has an unsuccessful shot during the first leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 football match at Stamford Bridge Stadium in London. AFP PHOTO

four times after the Spaniard had turned HOME /LIVIER 'IROUD S lICK TO GIVE Chelsea an early lead.

Willian was more accurate with a brilliant free-kick 25 minutes from time to double Chelseaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead and substitute Hudson-Odoi surely put the tie beyond Kiev with a smart kNISH A MINUTE FROM TIME AFP

in a French Cup win over Strasbourg on January 23 and was ruled out for 10 weeks.

PSG were hoping he would be healed enough to get back on the pitch in time for a potential Champions League quarterfinal in April, but the French side suffered a humiliating exit as United sensationally overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit.

AFP

Q Neymar AFP PHOTO

Juventus prepares for Atletico battle MILAN: Tensions are running high in Turin as Juventus get ready to take on lowly Udinese in Serie A on Friday (Saturday in Manila), just days ahead of their must-win Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid as Roma begin life under a new coach after Eusebio Di Francescoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sacking.

Massimiliano Allegriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unbeaten champions put one hand on an eighth consecutive Serie A title last weekend by seeing off rivals Napoli 2-1 to open up a huge 16-point lead.

But the pressure is on the Juventus coach amid reports of a falling out with club president Andrea !GNELLI AFTER THE CLUB S kRST LEG defeat in Spain two weeks ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have to win to prepare for the match on Tuesday, regardless of the advantage that we have (in the league),â&#x20AC;? Allegri said on Thursday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We still need six victories (to win the title). â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Madrid match has left us with motivation that has helped us in these 15 days. We will be ready on Tuesday and we will have a great game.â&#x20AC;?

The pressure has also been mounting on Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The top scorer in the Champions League for the last six seasons, 2ONALDO WAS SIGNED FOR MILLION euros ($112 million) last summer from Real Madrid.

"UT THE YEAR OLD 0ORTUGUESE SUperstar has scored just one goal in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competition as Juventus target a kRST %UROPEAN TITLE SINCE

manilatimes.net

equaled a red card.

Bourigeaud struck the wall from the resulting fr ee kick, but the ball came back to him and he sent a stunning half-volley into the far corner.

Petr Cech, back facing one of his former clubs, made several interventions before being beaten again in the 65th minute, as Mehdi Zeffaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cross FROM THE RIGHT DElECTED IN off Monreal, and Sarr added the potentially

Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment PARIS: Neymar Neymar will will travel to Qatar to undergo a â&#x20AC;&#x153;complete assessmentâ&#x20AC;? six weeks into his recovery from a fractured right foot, Paris

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

La Salle shocks UP, grabs solo lead DE La Salle University snatched the lead in Season 81 University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football after pulling off a 2-1 stunner over defending champion University of the Philippines (UP) on Thursday at the Far Eastern University (FEU)-Diliman Football Field in Quezon City. Rookie striker Shandon Vergara blasted a brace, towing the Green Booters atop the eight-team table with nine points on three wins against two losses. Head coach Alvin Ocampoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s La Salle side, which surpassed idle University of the East in the standings, also snapped UPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 16-game unbeaten streak dating back to Season 79 semifinals. Vergara converted a free kick in the 36th minute then doubled the cushion with a volley in the 65th. Kyle Magdato pulled one back for the Maroon Booters just a minute later, setting up a highlyphysical match. La Salleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshman goalkeeper Domycko Villacin held his ground, coming through with crucial stops to preserve the result. UP suffered its first loss in a long while as it fell to No. 5 with six points.Â

In the other games, Jarvey Gayoso struck twice to power Ateneo De Manila Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emphatic 5-0 breakthrough victory at the expense of University of Sto. Tomas while FEU nipped National University for a second win. National standout Gayoso scored off a penalty kick and a free kick in opposite halves as the Blue Booters bagged their maiden maximum markers in four games and soared to No. 6.  Team captain Julian Roxas, Rupert BaĂąa and Luke Alleje chipped in a goal apiece. Gilbert Mendoza and skipper Renz Saldivar found the back of the net early as the Tamaraw Booters climbed to No. 2 with an improved eight points on two triumphs and two draws. The Golden Booters skidded to No. 4 with six points on a lone win and three stalemates even as the Bulldogs hit rock bottom with two markers built on two draws.  Meanwhile, in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s division last Wednesday, La Salle kicked off its three-peat bid with a 3-0 thrashing of rival Ateneo while FEU took an early lead with a narrow 1-0 win against UST. JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA Â

Scandal-tainted Oceania Football hit with another ban

Q Juventusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (right) celebrates with his teammates his sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second goal during the Italian Serie A football match between Napoli and Juventus at the San Paolo Stadium in Naples. AFP PHOTO Ronaldo has also failed to score in his last two league games since the Madrid defeat and has been joined at the top of the Serie A scorers chart by Sampdoria veteran Fabio Quagliarella,

WHO HAS ALSO SCORED GOALS !LLEGRI CONkRMED THAT 2ONALDO IS available for Friday, but will be on

the bench, so as to be fully primed for what promises to be an epic struggle against Atletico.

Defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini will not play on Friday.

Udinese are 15th in Serie A but have moved away from the drop zone after winning their last two

games against relegation candidates Chievo and Bologna. â&#x20AC;&#x153;(The) match will be our Champions League,â&#x20AC;? coach Davide Nicola warned. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No-one has managed to beat Juventus in the League this season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;(Winning) would be a dream.â&#x20AC;? AFP

WELLINGTON:Â FIFA has slapped a three-month ban on a top OceaNIA &OOTBALL #ONFEDERATION OFkcial, undermining the scandal-hit organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s insistence it has cleaned up its act.

World footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governing body revealed Thursday that it had suspended OFC vice-president Lee Harmon after an investigation into the resale of tickets at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Cup in Russia.

It said Harmon, who is a member of the powerful FIFA Council and head of the Cook Islands Football Association, would also PAY A kNE OF 3WISS FRANCS

FIFA did not reveal further details of Harmonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offences but said his punishment had been determined after a plea bargain.

It comes after FIFA last week suspended former OFC president David Chung for six years for corruption.

FIFAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ethics Committee found

Chung, who resigned from the OFC last April, â&#x20AC;&#x153;offered and accepted giftsâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;acted under a CONlICT OF INTERESTu The Papua New Guinea businessmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downfall was reportedly related to an NZ$15 million 53 MILLION SPORTS HUB THE OFC was developing in Auckland.

Oceania, the smallest and weakest of FIFAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six continental confederations, is comprised largely of SMALL 0ACIkC ISLAND NATIONS It has a long history of governance problems, although Chungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successor as president, Lambert Matlock of Vanuatu, said they had been addressed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;OFC has undergone immense reforms following the resignation OF -R #HUNG IN u HE SAID IN a statement issued Friday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe we are now on the right path to ensuring ethical breaches like those of the former president cannot be repeated.â&#x20AC;?

AFP

SSATURDAY AT U R DAY MARCH 9, 2019

Entertainment

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www.manilatimes.net

Empowered women rule at PH red carpet preem of ‘Captain Marvel’ J

UST in time to kick off the global celebration of Women’s Month, strong and powerful females led by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, graced the red carpet premiere for Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” at the SM Mall of Asia IMAX Cinema THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MOVIE S OFkCIAL THEATRIcal release on Wednesday.

The country’s third winner of the world’s most coveted crown SAID THAT FOR HER WATCHING THE kRST female-led superhero title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is INDEED A kTTING WAY TO HIGHLIGHT the crucial role and contributions of women in society, as well encouraging womenkind that they too can do super things given CONkDENCE AND SUPPORT FROM THEIR family and an community.

cadre of allies at the center of a maelstrom when a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth.

Based on the beloved Marvel COMIC BOOK SERIES kRST PUBLISHED in 1967, Captain Marvel boasts of a superstar cast with Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Rune Temte, Algenis Perez Soto and Mckenna Grace, with Annette Bening, Clark Gregg and Jude Law. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan &LECK THE MOVIE ENTERS ITS kRST WEEKend today in cinemas nationwide.

»seen@thescene

Q Dance expert Regine Tolentino (second from left) is in good company cosplaying ‘Captain Marvel.’

The M Manila Times Entertainmentt pi picks out the fearless fe-

males spotted spo at the red carpet premiere on Wednesday, which may we well happen to be among yyour idols in becoming superwomen yourselves. su TThe highly anticipated rele release of Captain Marvel ttells the origin story of Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marve Marvel, played by Academy Award-w Award-winner Brie Larson. Said to be the most powerful force in the Marv Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Captain Marvel”— an immensely fascin fascinating female — takes the vast movie franchise higher, further, aand faster.

Set in the 1990s, “Captain Marvel” follows Carol Danvers’ journey as she becomes one of universe’s most powerful the univ heroes. As the story unfolds, $ANVERS kNDS HERSELF AND A SMALL $ANVERS

Q Model, lifestyle blogger and online influencer Janeena Chan.

NOW on its seventh year, Wanderland Music Festival is back and set to gather the biggest music acts of the country for a two-day event beginning today.

Mounted annually by Globe Telecom with Karpos, “Magic” was chosen as Wanderland’s 2019 theme, which should be what throngs of music fans with varied and distinct tastes should feel once they see their favorite acts — an impressive mix of fresh and famous talents — at the Filinvest City Event Grounds, Alabang.

Among the performs listed to make magic today

and tomorrow with their music for Wanderland are Sandwich with Raimund Marasigan (formerly of the Eraserheads) as its front man, 18-year-old songwriter, vocalist and original lead singer of IV of Spades Unique Salonga, Elements Music Camp discovery Reese Lansangan, folk and acoustic artist Clara Benin, indie-alternative rock band Autotelic, and world beat musicians Dayaw.

Further information on Wanderland 2019 is available at www.globe.com.ph/go/ events/globewanderland.

»what'sonwhere

Q Folk and acoustic artist Clara Benin.

Q The Valenciano men, headed by dad and OPM superstar Gary, give the women in their lives ‘their’ night out watching the highly anticipated ‘Captain Marvel’ movie.

Q TV actress Joyce Pring.

Q Fly high women pilots of the Philippines!

Isko Moreno’s son steps in to the biz

WA N D E R L A N D 2019

Two-day music fest opens today

Q Pia Wurtzbach receives a queenly welcome at the ‘Captain Marvel’ red carpet premiere from The Walt Disney Company Philippines’ Veronica Cabalinan and Lee Esguerra.

T

HE son also rises.

Seventeen-year-old Joaquin Ditan Domagoso is the newest artist among the stable of comebacking talent manager Daddie Wowie Roxas.

Joaquin is the second eldest son of actor-turnedpolitician Isko Moreno [who by the way is running for Mayor of Manila this coming May], and is currently studying at Southville International School where he is Grade 12.

He is considered a heartthrob in school where he won the title Mr. Teen SGEN 2018.

Daddie Wowie said it took a lot of convincing Isko and his wife Dynee to give Joaquin their blessing to step into showbiz. The

S

couple, however, agreed to Daddie Wowie’s pleading on the condition that Joaquin continues his studies and maintain his good grades.

“It feels good to manage a ta lent who is the offspring of my talent before. I’ve come full circle as they say,” said Daddie Wowie who was inspired to return to talent management after HE DISCOVERED HIS kRST TALENT 5NO Santiago, in 2018.

NNN Award-winning actor Edgar Allan Guzman is doing an rom-com movie opposite Coleen Garcia titled “Mia,” which is currently being shot in Palawan.

According to director Chris CaHILIG WHO IS PRODUCING THE kLM

ROVING EYE RO RICKY CALDERON CA

with Veronica Velasco helming the movie, vie, EA WAS HIS kRST CHOICE OICE AS soon as the project ct was conceptualized.

“We wanted someomeone really talented nted since the characterr of Jay, a geeky forester, ter, is quite challengging. Initially, EA A was not availablee WHEN WE kRST IN-quired, but when we contacted him again, his schedule Q Joaquin Ditan Domagoso opened up. I was so just so happy ppy because I know he’ll give ve justice to the afternoon drama “Dragon Lady” role,” said Chris.

Besides the movie, EA is also WHERE HE WILL kGURE IN A LOVE TRIpart of the cast of the new GMA angle with Janine Gutierrez.

Film on herbalist’s life in the works

OME people destined to make a mark in society have interesting stories to tell even way back their toddler days. Take the case of Dr. Sevillo Tamayo whose life story as now a much sought-after naturopathist of the highest cut will soon be filmed thru filmmaker Jigz Recto’s screenplay and direction.

With a lump in the throat Dr. Tamayo shared part of his toddler days to some movie writers at the recent launch of his biopic billed “Mahabang Buhay: (The Nine Lives of Herbalist Dr. Sevillo B.Tamayo)” at his clinic on Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.

He said his father had always feared for his life because he showed precocity at a very young age in hilot (touch massage)

and herbal healing as patronized like mad by ailing neighbors in Bayawan, Negros Oriental. One time his father attempted to throw him into the river the way it was done to Moses, but fortuitously someone carried him back to his father’s arms. Since then his father swore to face the consequences of having a son with a gift for healing.

Long story short, after graduating from Silliman University, Dumaguete City with a Hotel and Restaurant Management degree he went to Manila to seek the proverbial pasture. He ended up working as personal driver of then famous TV host Joe Quirino known for his “take it away” mantra. On the side he developed his gift for hilot, this

time matched with his background in herbal healing.

He penetrated the mainstream movie industry with his gift and even courted Janice de Belen in those sessions of distressing her with his healing massage. He also landed in bit parts for action films, but this was cut short when First Lady Imelda Marcos sent him as a scholar to mainland China to further his studies on herbal medicine. There, he unraveled the age-old secret of Chinese traditional medicine.

Now under the science of naturopathy, Dr. Tamayo has been accredited by the FDA for his discovery to neutralize and rid the debilitating effects of accumulation of fatal acids in the human body.

This he does by showing how the

CAVEAT GEORGE VAIL KABRISTANTE

most poisonous muriatic acid in the market can be neutralized through his herbal formulations. This earned him the reputation as the only herbalist doctor the world over who has shown he can drink fatal muriatic acid before his audience’s naked eyes after subjecting it through his neutralizing formulations.

On March 31, the 39th Consumers Choice Award under its project chair Jake Navea, (PhD) will honor Dr. Tamayo for the aforesaid discovery at the AFP Main Theater, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The representatives of the Guinness Book of World Records upon the invitation of Dr. Navea will be officially present to document the touted discovery of Dr. Tamayo for final evaluation as to its veracity and claim of his invention and formulation to enrich and prolong the life of people all over the world.

D2

Funtimes

SATURDAY March 9, 2019

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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FAMOUS HAND

One of the great attractions of bridge is its intrinsic ability to generate a steady supply of unexpected situations. For example, imagine how East must have felt at the end of the first trick on this deal, which occurred in a match between Canada and Bermuda.

The bidding requires some explanation. The Bermuda Southâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one-club bid guaranteed 16 points or more but had nothing whatever to do with clubs

Âť CROSSWORD

as a suit. Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five-club overcall also had nothing at all to do with clubs, but instead showed very long diamonds and instructed his partner to bid them.

Against six clubs, the Canadian West (Subhash Gupta) decided that his best chance to get two tricks was to try to get a heart ruff. Since this required his partner to be on lead at trick two, he elected to lead the four of diamonds, hoping to find East with the ten!

The scheme should have miscarried, since dummy had the ten, but the unusual opening lead caught declarer fast asleep. South could have won the first trick with either the six or the ten, but when he played dummyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deuce instead, an astonished East found himself winning the trick with the five!

East may have been momentarily flabbergasted, but he certainly was not paralyzed. After the five held the trick, it did not take him long to figure out what to do next.

Since his partner had obviously gone to great lengths to try to put him on lead, there had to be a reasonable explanation. And the only conclusion East could reach that made any sense was that West was trying to get a heart ruff.

The heart return was duly trumped

by West at trick two, and declarer quickly went down one. At the other table, there were no fancy doings, and declarer bid and made six clubs, giving the Canadians a gain of 1,470 points (16 IMPs) on the deal. Š2019 King Features Syndicate Inc.

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

Solution to puzzle

By Samantha Weaver

ÂťHOROSCOPE Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Birthday (03/09/19). Your professional star is on the rise this year. Disciplined team coordination is your secret strength. Passion and creativity flower this summer, before community changes present new opportunities. A group win this winter leads to shifting creative or romantic perspectives. Share and connect for what you love.

â&#x20AC;˘ It was 20th-century British actor George Sewell who made the following sage observation: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘ When someone mentions the band ZZ Top, you probably think of a group of musicians with long beards. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all have beards, though; the drummer is clean-shaven as a matter of safety (imagine being in the middle of a drum solo and getting a stick caught in a long beard â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ouch!). Interestingly, the unbearded drummerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name is Frank Beard. â&#x20AC;˘ If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re like most people, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve probably never encountered a tziganologist. That is, unless you consort with those who study Hungarian gypsies. â&#x20AC;˘ Those who study such things say that the immortal bard, William Shakespeare, used a grand total of 17,677 words in his works. (That must have been a tedious calculation.) They also say that fully one-tenth of those words had never been used in writing before. â&#x20AC;˘ Unless you were around on April 17, 1964, you may not be aware of the hullabaloo caused by the introduction of the Ford Mustang. In Seattle, a truck driver was so distracted by a display of new Mustangs that he crashed his cement truck through the window of the dealership. In Chicago, so many people were trying to crowd into the cars in a showroom that the dealer had to lock all the vehicle doors. A dealer in New Jersey had only one Mustang, so he auctioned it off. The winner of the auction insisted on sleeping in his new car that night, just to make sure nobody else got it before his check cleared. â&#x20AC;˘ By the time he was 5 years old, 19th-century French composer Camille Saint-Saens was already composing waltzes. *** Thought for the Day: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Š 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.

BY NANCY BLACK LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Gather in a windfall harvest. Contribute for shared benefit. Prioritize practicalities. Collaborate with someone who sees your blind spot, especially where money is concerned.

To get the advantage, check the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Disciplined teamwork leads to a win. Coordinate roles and responsibilities with your partner. Keep agreements, even under tight deadlines.

Together, you can score.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is a 9 -- Watch out for financial tangles. Your head is full of ways to make money. A problem could develop; avoid risky business or volatility. Stick to basics.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is a 9 -- Energize your activities. Keep what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing that works. Get moving, and get that heart pumping! A busy schedule requires a quicker pace.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re making a good impression. Advance in an unexpected surge for a personal goal.

Check your course, and then full speed ahead. Follow rules carefully.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Have fun with people you love. One good friend leads to another. Make an excellent connection with someone new. Relax, and enjoy family time.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Clarify your direction. Review plans and adapt them to a sense of purpose or mission.

Look at a situation from a higher perspective.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is a 6 -- Get into a practical domestic phase. Conserve resources and energy by laying low and sticking close to home. Find an incredible bargain to improve your place.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Your team comes to your rescue before things get awkward. Stay gracious publicly, despite XQSUHGLFWDEOH FLUFXPVWDQFHV 0DNH SODQV DQG DGDSW WKHP RQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;\ LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- A professional test has your focus. Assess your workload and responsibilities. Delegate or postpone what you can. Reschedule to take advantage of positive conditions.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Study your options. Distant cultures call to you. Research another view to your subject. Get an expert opinion. Consult someone who has gone where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going.

Âť SUDOKU

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Apply your cleverness and skill with words to a communications puzzle. Look at the situation from another perspective. Do the research. Write up your discoveries.

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Blackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @LindaCBlack. For more astrological interpretations like todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gemini horoscope, visit Linda Black Astrology by clicking daily horoscopes, or go to www.nancyblack.com.)

NANCY BLACK.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BY ROGER SEVILLA

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats.

Solution from yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s puzzle.

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

D3

w w w.manilatimes.net

LIFESTYLE@MANILATIMES.NET

SATURDAY

MARCH 9, 2019

Q The award-winning actress (left and right photo, center) considers the new endorsement a dream come true given the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy and the lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mass appeal that is akin to hers and her fan base.

Maja Salvador is first female Guitar celebrity ambassador

T

Kasi bilang artista pakiramdam ko rin mas nakaka -relate ako sa masa. Kaya sobrang saya ko nung sinabi palang sa akin na napili ako ng Guitar family to

Guitar Underwear is known and labelled as a premium brand of underwear since its launch in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s. While the market is continuously evolving, the brand evolved as well, expanding its product line from basic underwear to innerwear and sleepwear, to socks, to polo p shirts and then to jeans.

Just like Guitar, Salvador has evolved and excelled in her career, reer, initially as an actress, then branchnching out into dancing and singing ging and eventually into performing ing on the concert stage. Salvador dor has even earned her own stripe pe abroad through her various us portrayals, but more recentlyy through her phenomenal per-formance in ABS-CBN prime TIME SOAP g7ILDlOWER u â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dream come true na mapili akong maging endorser for a local brand. Kaya

BE THEIR AMBASSADRESS u 3ALVADOR IS NOW OFkCIALLY PART of a league of other accomplished and diverse artists representing Guitar, namely Gloc 9, Carlos Agassi and Jake Cuenca.

Besides celebrating their strong presence in the local scene for 60 years, Guitar is also launched THEIR kRST EVER DENIM COLLECTION alongside Savadorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big reveal, which the brand hopes will further expand p their reach.

The d denim series is focused on providing style without displacing comfort, and d iis the latest addition to G Guitarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famed De Hilo, 80 800, 900, Underwear, Polo Shirt, Socks and the UniSh form series, which have for been patronized by many bee generations of Filipinos. gen Guitar welcomed Salvador Gu with a head-turning fashion show presenting the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic and all-new collections, together togeth with longtime ambassadors Gloc-9 and Carlos Agassi.

O celebration of their 60th year in the apparel business, legacy t-shirt and undergarment brand Guitar has kNALLY CHOSEN A kTTING FACE TO REPRESENT their brand through multi award-winning actress, celebrated performer and Dance Princess Maja Salvador. thankful talaga ako at happy to BE PART OF THE GUITAR FAMILY u SAID Salvador at her grand launch at TriNoMa in Quezon City.

She added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Siyempre mahalaga rin sakin na yung brand na ito ay available para sa mas nakararami

natingg mga g kababayan. y

Q For the past 60 years, the brand has expanded its line from basic underwear to innerwear and sleepwear, to socks, to polo shirts and then to jeans.

Q Maja Salvador joins Carlos Agassi and Gloc 9 (left photo) as Guitar brand ambassadors.

A modern take on the classic white shirt at Carolina Herrera NEW YORK: When the last model walked down the Carolina Herrera runway in a floor-length, billowing gown that looked like a huge white shirt, it was a playful nod in two ways.

First, it was a take on the tradition of ending a fashion show with a bridal gown.

And second, it was a nod by designer Wes Gordon to his predecessor and her famous love for a crisp white shirt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was white shirting,â&#x20AC;? Gordon explained after Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show amid the elegant portraits and stained-glass windows of the New York Historical Society, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest museum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A shirt that we stretched and exaggerated and expanded into a huge gown. So (we were) really playing with that house code a little bit.â&#x20AC;?

White shirts aside, Gordon, who succeeded Herrera as creative director a year ago, was mainly interested in color this season. Lots of color, including bold oranges and blues, and a yellow not for the faint-hearted that Gordon calls â&#x20AC;&#x153;taxi-cab yellow.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love color, and the starting point was to build a beautiful palette that we could work with this season,â&#x20AC;? Gordon said backstage. And he was thinking about flowers, too, specifically the floral still-lifes of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, whom Gordon calls â&#x20AC;&#x153;an indelible figure to the Herrera story,â&#x20AC;? for his portraits of the Venezuelan-born designer, who remains the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand ambassador.

Thus, Gordon explained, one pink dress was designed to look â&#x20AC;&#x153;like an orchid unravelingâ&#x20AC;? as the model walked the runway.

There were certainly some looks â&#x20AC;&#x201D; big, loose silhouettes in eyepopping colors, including a large anorak â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite square with the very refined ethos of the label from past years. Gordon said there was a natural evolution into bolder and more relaxed looks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Herrera has always stood for elegance, and my message now is that elegance doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be uptight, elegance doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be formal, elegance doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be too serious,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Elegance can have laughter, elegance can have joy, elegance can be bright orange, elegance can be a micromini, it can be a huge billowy floating gown, and it can be modern and young, too.â&#x20AC;?

Gordon said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spent the last year traveling around the world meeting customers, speaking to â&#x20AC;&#x153;real women and learning how they wear the clothes, where they wear the clothes.â&#x20AC;?

He said that for him, the ideal customer â&#x20AC;&#x153;doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep her favorite china for some special occasion.

She uses it for breakfast just by herself. And she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set aside a garment waiting for a day in the future to wear it, keeping it wrapped in tissue paper.â&#x20AC;? AP

Q This floor-length, billowing gown that looks like a huge white shirt is creative director Wes Gordonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nod to his predecessor and label founder Carolina Herrera.

Q White shirts aside, Gordon goes with big bold colors as well this season.

D4

SATURDAY MARCH 9, 2019

EDITOR Tessa Mauricio-Arriola STAFF WRITERS Christina Alpad & Iza Iglesias DESKMAN Arlo Custodio

Ricky Reyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FilHair celebrates a milestone N Beauty guru and philanthropist continues to give small salon practitioners a venue to shine

Q Participating hairdressers and makeup artists should prepare to compete in the fun â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fabulous Cleopatraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; category.

OW on its 35th year, the Filipino Hairdressers Association (FilHair), the premiere association of professional hairdressers, makeup artists and salon owners in the country, is set to launch a landmark event that will gather together people in the beauty industry to a daylong event on April 23. Tagged as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jade Anniversary Beauty Event,â&#x20AC;? FilHair is set to stage a glitzy gathering of beauty trade practitioners and suppliers at the Metrotent in MetroWalk, Pasig City.

Beauty industry pillar and philanthropist Ricky Reyes, FilHair president, who is at the helm of this colorful event, has named the categories where the beauty practi-

Q An exciting and colorful category that will surely test competitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talent in creating a total look is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Do-Me-a-Barbieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; doll styling.

Q The Nail Art Category is a new feature in the competition, allowing manicurists to participate in the FilHair too.

Q Staunch pillar of the beauty industry and philanthropist Ricky Reyes (center) launches the 35th edition of FilHair with the April 2019 eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major sponsors.

tioners can compete as follows: Best in Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Haircut, Best in Evening Makeup, and Best in Bridal Makeup categories. For this year too, a Color Master Award is AT STAKE FOR THE kRST TIME NAMED Best in Creative Hair Coloring category.

Making the event more exciting this year is the emergence of some new categories. One such IS g$O -E A "ARIBE u AN EXCITING and colorful category that will surely test the competitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talent in creating a total look Barbie Doll styling, together with Nail Art and Mask Makeup categories.

Ultimately, expect the beauty

goddess of Egypt come to life as hairdressers compete on the Metrotent stage to showcase their creations in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fabulous #LEOPATRAu CATEGORY 4RULY SOMEthing to look forward to.

Reyes says that prior to the staging of this beauty event on April 23, FilHair members have embarked on a nationwide tour that started since February in Iloilo City and Bulacan, engaging people to FilHairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s livelihood training programs with the help of the ,OCAL 'OVERNMENT 5NITS And to make this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event more relevant, Reyes invited the ,'"4 &ILIPINAS WHO ARE IN TURN

just too grateful to forge an alliance with FilHair to conduct livelihood training programs in some marginalized sectors of society around the country.

Reyes enthuses, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The beauty OF THIS IS THAT THE ,'"4 GROUP IS tasked to serve the community that, instead of the usual gay pageant activities, street parades asserting equal rights, people will SEE A DIFFERENT ,'"4 NOW ASSERTing its valuable role in helping and making a difference in other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My vision is for people to realIZE THE MISLABELING OF THE ,'"4 GROUP THAT THE ,'"4S HAVE THE capacity to help and be relevant to the society that it belongs; that it is not about whether you are straight, gay, or lesbian, but just another human with a heart and a lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose. I told them [the

,'"4S= TO CHANGE GEARS AND LET S join hands together in serving OUR COUNTRYMEN u FilHair, with the participation OF THE ,'"4 GROUP SEES HUNDREDS of people gathered together in one place in some key cities and municipalities wherein livelihood trainings on professional hair coloring techniques, proper makeup application, medicinal foot spa with magnesium will be conducted.

Also included in the program are some popular salon services like professional technique on Brazilian and KeraGloss application. These will all be taught for free to the constituents in different areas. Alongside the training sessions, FilHair will also conduct a localized hairstyling and makeup competition among amateur talents wherein winners will get the chance to compete in the national level on April 23 at the MetroWalk where thousands of prizes and gift packs from various sponsors are in store.

Moreover, Reyes announced that the overall champion among all categories will be receiving a complimentary round-trip ticket with hotel accommodation to compete in the Asia Pacific Hairdressers and Cosmetologists Association Hair Olympics (Aphca) slated in Singapore in November this year.

Finally, scheduled to arrive in the country to comprise the panel of judges, Reyes invited several country leaders of the Aphca from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

A â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;naturalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; K-beauty invasion InnisFreeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first PH store thrives at Mall of Asia TOP Korean beauty and skincare BRAND )NNISFREE S kRST 0HILIPPINE store at SMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mall of Asia in Pasay City is an endless hub of activity.

As an innovative beauty brand and one of the fastest GROWING BRANDS IN THE !MORE0ACIkC group, Innisfree is dedicated to sharing the clean and pure energy of nature for healthy beauty.

The brand offers innovative beauty solutions powered by the kNEST INGREDIENTS FOUND ON +OREA S pristine Jeju Island. Thanks to its volcanic origins, this fertile oasis has a unique ecosystem of powerful ingredients to nurture beautiful skin.

With the wonders of nature at the heart of the brand, they take great care to preserve and protect the environment in all that they do, practicing green living and supporting causes that give back to the Earth and the community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture, Filipinos

are naturally drawn to Korean INlUENCES ESPECIALLY THE + BEAUTY SKINCARE REGIMEN u SAYS 3TEPHEN ,EE

general brand manager of Innisfree, Amorepacific Philippines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With our brand, we continue to be excited to offer our Filipno consumers skincare with quality selection of products and green sustainable practices. We are also committed to expanding and establishing a LONG TERM PRESENCE HERE u Innis free is unlike any other beauty brands given its very precise Green philosophy: to preserve and protect nature by taking the time to give back to the Earth through collective activations and campaigns throughout the years. Under these guidelines, its most popular products to date are found in the Green Tea Seed Serum, Orchid Enriched Cream, and Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask.

Âťseen@thescene

Q Innisfree Philippines General Brand Manager Stephen Lee, Marketing Communication Specialist Mary Chris Go, and Senior Vice President Global Division Chul Kim express their love for natural ingredients.

Q Innisfree Senior Vice President Global Division Chul Kim(right) with SM Investments Corporation Vice Chair Tessie Sy-Coson and SM Retail President Ponciano Manalo.

Q Innisfree â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;oppasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; took the guests to different Jeju island sceneries where the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural ingredients are sourced.

Q Daryl Chang says her favorite Q ABS-CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chie Filomeno checks skincare is innisfreeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green Tea Range. out the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best sellers.

Q ABS-CBN Talent Sofia Andres with Patricia Henson and Mikyle Quizon are regular shoppers at the K-beauty hub.